Authorities have called the American diet "pathogenic." The foods we eat contribute to the current epidemics of tooth decay, obesity, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and cancer. Increasing medical evidence links Americans' high fat diet to heart disease, stroke, and certain forms of cancer. Our growing consumption of sugars causes tooth decay, which costs Americans three billion dollars a year in dental bills alone. Government agencies and health organizations are urging Americans to improve their health by changing their diets. Here, at last, is a clearly written account of what we are eating now and what Americans ate in the early 1900s, putting dietary changes in perspective. - Back cover.