A newly compiled list of foods and drinks commonly consumed in the United States hints at why many adults unknowingly overdo it on saturated fat and added sugar in their daily diet, a new study suggests. Beyond the biggest sources of each dietary category—cheese for saturated fat and for added —the study identifies a longer list of popular sources that helps explain why it's so hard to limit fat and sugar to the recommended 10% of daily calories. With that overconsumption of unexpected sources like chicken and ketchup, for example, comes a risk for a variety of ailments, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer.
The analysis of data on over 35,000 U.S. adults is part of a project aimed at developing a research tool that can streamline assessment of these dietary downsides.
But the work also may open consumers' eyes to the unexpected sources of fat and sugar that add up over the course of a day—and perhaps convince shoppers to read labels to see where these hidden sources are, researchers say. "Chicken breast is promoted as a lower saturated fat food, but it still has a little bit of saturated fat. But it is helpful to know how foods with smaller amounts also slowly add saturated fat in a stealthy way into the diet," said first author Christopher Taylor, professor and director of medical dietetics in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at The Ohio State University.
"Being able to meet less than 10% is to identify the big contributors, but also to .