How has changed the diet of the british: From 1942 to 2000

The Family Food Statistics website contains an array of historic data on the food purchasing habits in Britain. To know what they were eating in the middle of the last century may be of great interest. On top of this, if we can plot the trend towards more recent times, we can obtain a more detailed insight into the changes in their eating habits. And it’s quite likely that these findings could be extrapolated to many developed countries.

The British have been collecting data on it since 1942! Relevant data were systematically gathered and collated in the same format up to 2000, after which a new methodology was introduced. The charts below on changes in food consumption amongst people in Britain over the period 1942 to 2000 speak for themselves so no further comment is really needed.

More interactive charts: changes in food intake and crops around the world

Charts are an interesting way to show statistics about food. Especially if they are visually appealing and informative, like the following.

Food addiction among children and adolescents

The concept of “food addiction”, an approach which suggests there may be parallels between substance (tobacco, alcohol, etc.) abuse and the excessive intake of certain foods, has been discussed in several previous posts and especially in The Obese Brain, Numerous experts point to substantial and even clear evidence that the imbalance of our brain’s reward circuit may be attributable to certain foods and eating habits, along the same lines as what happens with substances considered to be addictive and potentially compulsive behaviour such as gambling. Though these concepts have their own peculiarities and specificities, the features they commonly share may be an interesting and useful starting point for designing new therapies and treatments in the fight against obesity.

Food addiction report

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse is a nonprofit research and policy organization focused on improving the understanding, prevention and treatment of substance use and addiction. Few weeks ago they published an interesting report , "Understanding and addressing food addiction: a science-based approach to policy, practice and research".

On their website they explain the content of this document:

Interactive chart: The complexity of obesity, at a glance

It is often said that obesity is a complex phenomenon, much more than calories in-calories out process. In The Obese Brain you can better understand this complexity, closely related to the brain. And in the next amazing picture you can see a visual representation of this complexity and the causes behind the obesity.