What we put on our plates now is very different to the 1970s. So how have our food habits changed? The Pew Research Center combed through data from the USDA’s Food Availability (Per Capita) Data System (FADS) to find out. Their report makes fascinating reading and we’ve used this and other information to show how America’s diet has changed over the last 40 years.

Surprise, surprise, obesity has become such a big problem because we’re moving less and eating more. Quite a lot more in fact – the average American consumed 2,481 calories a day in 2010, about 23% extra calories than in 1970. That’s more than most adults need to maintain their current weight. According to current guidelines, a sedentary woman aged 41 to 50 years-old only needs 1,800 calories while for a man of the same description the recommendation is 2,200 calories.

Nearly half (46.6%, up from 37.3% in 1970) of our calories come from an equal split of two food groups: flours/grains and fats/oils. Starchy carbs and fat are a combination that can be hard to resist, especially when you add sugar into the mix (think doughnuts and cookies, and you get the idea). Cutting down on refined carbs and fat closer to 1970 levels (and getting more fruit, vegetables and lean proteins) can help keep weight under control.

At the turn of the 21st century, America’s love affair with grains peaked at an annual per capita consumption of 137.6lbs (that’s equivalent to 520 cups of flour a year or 1.4 cups a day). Grain consumption has since decreased a little but is still up 29% from 1970, mainly eaten in the form of bread, pastries and other baked goods. Corn (maize) intake has gone up but wheat is still the country’s staple grain.

Fruit and vegetables provide a smaller share of our daily caloric intake than they did when it was all flower power and bell bottom pants – 7.9% of calories came from fruit and vegetables in 2010 versus 9.2% in 1970. According to the USDA's Economic Research Service, the amount of vegetables available to consume in the United States fell from 299lbs per person in 2003 to 272lbs per person in 2013. 

However, dig a bit deeper into the Economic Research Service data and you’ll find that three fruits and vegetables – orange juice, potatoes and head lettuce ­– accounted for 22lbs of this 27lbs decline. This isn’t so bad given potatoes are actually carbs and orange juice contains rather a lot of sugar.

We are actually getting a smaller proportion of our calories from sugars than in the 1970s. While the intake of added caloric sweeteners peaked in 1999 (each person was consuming an average of 26.7 teaspoons a day), in 2014, it was down to 22.9 teaspoons a day.

In the 1970s, sugar in food was mainly sucrose from sugar beet or sugar cane (the white granular type you still get from the grocery store for home cooking). These days, sugars derived from corn, like high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), are more likely to be used by food manufacturers. There are reports that high fructose sugars are worse for us but in fact HCFS and sucrose are both more or less 50% fructose and 50% glucose, so one type isn’t any worse than the other. Although, it's best to minimise both.

 

Nowadays, we’ve swapped mainly to vegetable oils including soybean, corn, canola and other largely unsaturated oils. That’s good news for heart health, as saturated fat tends to raise cholesterol levels but unsaturated fats can keep cholesterol healthy. Find out the best ways to cook with every type of oil here.

Despite the “butter is back” headlines, intake of the yellow stuff is around the same as it was in 1970, at 3.3lbs per person per year. Margarine, on the other hand, has fallen out of favour. In 1976, consumption was 7.2lbs per person per year and in 2010, it was only 2.1lbs. 

Statistics show that in the 1970s, sugary drinks accounted for 4% of Americans' daily calorie intake and by 2001, this had risen to about 9%. But the country's thirst for soda seems to be in decline over the past decade. In 2016, the per capita consumption fell to about 642 8oz servings, the lowest figure since 1985 when consumption trends began being tracked.

Another change in the right health direction – chicken consumption has more than doubled since 1970 and beef has fallen by more than a third. However, beef isn't far behind chicken as the average American eats 2.1oz of poultry a day and 1.7oz of the red meat. Need some cluckin' good inspiration? Check out our finger lickin' chicken recipes that are better than takeout.

Economic Research Service data shows Americans are eating a little more fish and shellfish than in the 1970s but it still falls short of the recommended intake. In 2014, people consumed 2.7oz of seafood a week and for an average 2,000-calorie diet, it's advised to eat at least 8oz. Shrimp, salmon and canned tuna were the top three choices for seafood. Find our top tips for cooking fish perfectly every time here.

Ice cream intake has actually fallen slightly since the 1970s when it was a popular dessert, perhaps with some canned fruit. The most recent development has been a huge boom in lower-fat and lower-sugar ice creams. During the summer of 2017, Halo Top was the best-selling pint of ice cream in the US.

Rice consumption has increased since the 1970s, perhaps because we’re being more adventurous with dishes like curries, pilafs and paella. White rice is a fairly low-nutrition carbohydrate so aim for higher fibre brown varieties such as brown basmati, which also has a lower glycaemic index, reducing blood sugar spikes. Discover the secret to perfect fluffy rice and other tips here.

Egg consumption has fallen since the 1970s but not dramatically. Eggs got bad press because of their cholesterol content but the FDA removed a daily limit on dietary cholesterol in their 2015 Dietary Guidelines. Eggs are part of all three government-recommended healthy eating regimens: US-style, Mediterranean-style and vegetarian-style. Find brilliant hacks for cooking eggs here.

Intake of legumes, nuts and soy has gone up since the 1970s. Nuts are a power house of vitamins, minerals and healthy fats, and soy and legumes, such as lentils and chickpeas, are generally are high in fibre and protein. The uptick could also reflect soy used as an ingredient in processed food. Instead, try to include more beans in their whole, unprocessed form (canned, boiled or frozen) for the most benefit.

What could be a cause for concern, especially for young people, is that Americans are drinking 42% less dairy milk than in 1970. Milk is a very good source of calcium which is essential for strong bones and according to the National Institutes of Health, up to 90% of peak bone mass is acquired by age 18 in girls and by age 20 in boys.

However, we’re eating a lot more cheese: 21.9lbs each a year which is nearly three times the average annual consumption in 1970. Cheese is a brilliant source of calcium too but it’s higher in calories and saturated fat than milk and easy to over-consume. A good portion is a small matchbox size, around 1oz, per day.

Read more: Food fads from the year you were born

Yogurt has seen a meteoric rise in popularity, from almost zero consumption when it was seen as a new fangled hippy food in the 1970s to almost 1.2 gallons per person per year in 2014. That's a 1,700% increase! It can be a sugary food unless you stick to natural varieties. Jazz up your bowl and be inspired by these brilliant yogurt topping ideas.

Read more: Horrible historic diets you're glad you never had to try

Ask whether foods habits are better now than in the past and you'll get a whole host of opinions. A survey on food and nutrition attitudes found Americans were pretty much split about whether people in the US pay more attention to eating healthy foods today compared with 20 years ago – 54% thought people tried to eat a more healthy diet now whereas 46% didn't.

Read more: Retro dishes that deserve a comeback