21 Most Popular Foods Americans Don’t Want To Go Without
1,996 pounds. That’s how much food the average American eats in a year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
To put that number into perspective, 1,996 is four pounds short of one ton. That’s a lot of food. And unfortunately for our gut health, the weight doesn’t appear to primarily stem from fruits and vegetables; much of it comes in the form of cheese, sugary foods, and dense carbohydrates.
So, which American foods do people love the most? YouGov polled the public to find out.
Ranking Favorite Foods
YouGov polled Americans on the U.S. dishes that they love the most. The poll was conducted in quarter one of 2024, and the results were weighted to gender, race, age, and education.
Twenty-one foods ranked in YouGov’s poll, as follows. But before we leave you to it, know that you might work up an appetite reading about these savory and sweet treats.
Don’t say we didn’t warn you!
All the Goodness
The U.S. Department of Agriculture supports YouGov’s data that Americans love their sweet and savory foods. But what exactly is it about sugar, salt, and fat that makes us so attracted to them? The answer may lie in their ability to release dopamine.
Ultra-processed foods, like many of the items on YouGov’s list, create instant satisfaction in our brains. Some experts believe that the triggering of dopamine release, which is the same signal that makes people feel pleasure when using certain types of drugs or being intimate with their partner, causes us to return again and again to unhealthy foods.
But it doesn’t stop there. Since ultra-processed foods typically don’t contain a lot of water or fiber, people need to eat more of them to feel satiated.
Smart Shopper
We’re not about to tell you never to eat the foods Americans appear to love most. And some of the items many doctors wouldn’t even balk at, especially depending on how you prepare them. Nevertheless, with approximately 73% of the U.S. food supply being ultra-processed, there’s room for many Americans to learn how to make smarter choices when shopping.
Many food experts agree that choosing high-fiber foods is a good way to avoid buying ultra-processed items. Even bread is often highly processed. So, read the labels of the foods you want to buy and look for signs of fiber. The more, the better.
Furthermore, avoid purchasing foods with added sugar. Swinging back to the bread example, despite what the average consumer might think, manufacturers often put sugar in their bread. Their goal? To make it tasty so you keep coming back for more.
Hidden Salt
Research suggests that sodium can have addictive properties. And let’s face it: None of us need scientists to tell us that eating salty foods makes us thirsty.
From Coca-Cola to cottage cheese, canned vegetables, and instant oatmeal, many Americans consume foods that they’d never imagine contain sodium. When consumed in the right balance — which manufacturers are careful to prepare — salt makes sweet and savory food alike more palatable.
The good news? You can keep tabs on the amount of sodium you consume by checking food labels at the grocery store.
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