Parade Magazine recently published results of a survey called “What America Eats”. There are some interesting finds in the survey. However, it is important to note that this survey only included 1000 people from around the US. While I’m sure they tried to get a representative sample, that isn’t a ton of people. I’m highlighting a few things I found good and bad in the results.
-67% of those surveyed were trying to cut back on sugar. Added sugars are just added calories. I’m glad to see that message seems to be catching on.
-Only 9% of kids’ lunch boxes included some sort of vegetable. With the availability of baby carrots, snap peas, and many precut, washed vegetables, I find this very discouraging.
-For those surveyed, 80% of their meals were prepared at home. When eating at home, we have control over what goes into our foods. That should mean our meals are lower in fat and sodium and higher in whole grains and vegetables.
-Unfortunately, only 47% of people reported checking labels, which is down from 65% in 1990. Reading labels of the foods you buy is very important. You can see the serving size, compare nutrients between products, etc. Reading labels is essential in becoming the informed consumers we need to be.
-We are eating less dessert. Only 12% of people reported having a sweet after dinner at home, which is down from 24% in 1986. Besides the added sugars mentioned above, dessert usually is eaten when we disregard our satiety cues. Listening to the body’s hunger and satiety cues is essential for weight loss and maintenance.
As always, there is room for improvement. But we are making strides in the right direction. You can read more about the survey here.
Have any nutrition questions? Need help with meal planning or a special dietary need? Send your questions to me at kimberlykmarsh(at)gmail(dot)com, and I will answer them in upcoming posts!