Yes, We Are Getting Fatter

“You need a varied diet, a balanced diet, with smaller portions,” says Shailendra Patel from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. “Your plate should look colorful, and you need to be exercising at least three times a week.”

And the reason she is saying that is because Americans are getting fatter. A new federal report says American men and women of all ages have gotten heavier—and thicker—during the 21st century, and that’s just one-fifth of the century!

Women’s average waists grew over 2 inches—from 36.3 in 1999-2000 to 38.6 inches in 2015-16—while men’s have stretched just over an inch, from 39.0 to 40.2 inches during the same 17-year period. 

The report was based on data gathered through the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which looked at weight, height, waist circumference and body mass index in about 45,000 Americans old than 20 years old.

It’s the way your grandma would have told you to eat: smaller portions and a varied diet—and hearing it from a professor now is no less important.