In case you’re not familiar with the Turnip, it’s a whimsical Google search, wherein I type a random phrase and we see what kind of interesting pages “turn-up.” As always with this feature, the _floss is not responsible for accuracy. If you know one of the below statements/links to be untrue, by all means, let the world know in the comments below.
Today I typed “Americans consume approximately” into Google, unearthing the following:
Turnip #1
Americans consume approximately one-third of the world’s available resources yet comprise about 5% of the world population.
Turnip #2
Whether it’s dine-in, pick-up or delivery, one common denominator exists in pizza: fat.No matter how you slice it, Americans consume approximately 100 acres of pizza each day. And, nutritionists estimate that the average fat content in pizza hovers somewhere near 5%
Turnip #3
The American Heart Association says that Americans consume approximately 22 teaspoons of sugar each day.
Turnip #4
Americans consume approximately 70 million pounds of “Tots” [tater tots] per year.
Turnip #5
the FDA recommends that all Americans consume approximately 25 grams of soy protein per day.
Turnip #6
Americans consume approximately 20% of their calories from refined sugars and sweeteners, 30% from refined grains, and often, 40% as fat.
Turnip #7
Americans consume approximately 1 billion pounds of avocado annually. [okay: who just put their little finger to their lips?]
Turnip #8
Americans consume approximately 11 ounces of meat per day, which calculates to approximately 250 pounds of beef annually, more than any other country in the world. The Japanese only eat 2 ounces of meat daily or approximately 46 pounds of beef annually.
Comments (11)
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Wow. Great “Turnip”!
posted by Jenny on 10-6-2009 at 11:34 am
Couldn’t help myself – in Google, I typed “Americans Consume approximately” and “Turnips”, and I got back “Americans consume approximately double the RDA of phosphorus daily. This is a result of drinking soda and eating processed foods containing polyphosphate food additives.”
posted by Karl on 10-6-2009 at 11:55 am
Turnip 1: A little outdated don’t you think? Still awesome though, USA USA USA USA!!!
Turnip 8: Sucks to be Japanese…
posted by graham on 10-6-2009 at 12:42 pm
Looooove the Tots!
posted by Rachel on 10-6-2009 at 12:56 pm
Actually graham, more and more people are finding that a diet low in meat may be quite beneficial to one’s health. I’d wager to say that this diet may be one of the reasons why Japan’s average life expectancy is so high.
(incidentally, captcha: “ume eeriness”, though I know not why the delicious ume would be considered eerie)
posted by Anonymous on 10-6-2009 at 12:56 pm
Okay, first I want to point out that you make no distinction between the 100 acres of pizza and the 22 grams teaspoons of sugar we consume each day. I assume this is the TOTAL pizza consumed in America, while the sugar is PER PERSON, no?
Also, how does 11 ounces of meat translate to 250 pounds of beef? Or 2 ounces of meat becomes 46 pounds of beef? What about the other meats?
posted by Ron on 10-6-2009 at 1:16 pm
Beef is EXTREMELY expensive in Japan. Not a lot of grazing land.
posted by PartiallyDeflected on 10-6-2009 at 1:16 pm
“…nutritionists estimate that the average fat content in pizza hovers somewhere near 5%”?? What kind of sad pizza is that??
posted by Betsy on 10-6-2009 at 2:18 pm
i love tater tots!
posted by poo on 10-6-2009 at 6:00 pm
Re: #1
America is made to look selfish and greedy observing our level of consumption, but what about our level of production?! We produce most of the world’s goods, so why shouldn’t we consume them?
“The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops” (2 Timothy 2:6).
posted by B-Doc on 10-6-2009 at 7:41 pm
Wow…no wonder America has a health problem
posted by Alison on 10-7-2009 at 4:40 pm