Survey shows ‘noticeable shift’ in how American adults approach healthy eating
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A recent survey showed a “noticeable shift” in the way adults in the United States define “healthy” and their motivations for adopting healthy eating habits, an expert told Healio Primary Care.
Specifically, more people are “defining healthy foods by the presence of healthy components more so than the absence of things people wish to avoid,” said Ali Webster, PhD, RD, director of research and nutrition communications for the International Food Information Council (IFIC).
Webster and colleagues at the IFIC administered the survey, which collected 1,014 responses from adults aged 18 to 80 years from March 23 to March 31, 2021. It showed that 27% adults believed healthy foods included fruits, vegetables, protein and fiber, whereas only 17% said so in 2016. When it came to how people defined a healthy eating pattern, the most common responses were, “Eating appropriate portion sizes at each meal” (47% ranked this answer in their top three), “avoiding processed foods” (40%) and “the right mix of different foods” (35%). Also, 73% of respondents said they are “are confident in their ability to choose healthy foods,” and 68% agreed that “it’s easy to cook or prepare food that fits a healthy eating pattern.”
“While there’s been no change in the number of people following a specific diet or eating pattern in the past year compared to last year’s survey, this year, fewer Americans dieted in order to lose weight,” Webster said. “While weight loss still ranks as the No. 1 reason why people choose to follow a diet or eating pattern, it just barely edges out other motivators like protecting long-term health and wanting to better [themselves] and have more energy.”
Webster suggested during a conference call with reporters that physical appearance “wasn’t necessarily top of mind in the past year,” when people spent more time at home as a result of the pandemic.
The five diets that the survey respondents followed the most were calorie-counting, clean eating, intermittent fasting, low-carb and a ketogenic or high-fat diet. The Mediterranean diet came in ninth.
Webster encouraged physicians to concentrate on the “positive rather than avoiding the negative” when making healthy eating suggestions to patients.
“Highlighting ways to include more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein in the diets of patients or clients can help make those choices more tangible and less overwhelming,” she said.