Quick fact: Consumption of all sugar-sweetened beverages accounts for just six percent of the average person’s daily caloric intake.

It might surprise you to know that soft drinks are playing a small and declining role in the American diet.  In fact, all sugar-sweetened beverages account for just six percent of the average person’s diet.  (That includes soda, teas, flavored waters, sports drinks, energy drinks, juice drinks and other beverages.) The six percent comes from a U.S. Department of Agriculture analysis of government NHANES data.

This means that people are getting 94 percent of their calories from other foods.

This begs the question: why are some in the public health community attempting to assign 100 percent of the blame for obesity on just 6 percent of calories?