Food advertisements and product labels boldly proclaim “reduced fat,” “sugar-free” and “low sodium,” but how much attention are consumers really paying to what they eat each day? Not nearly enough, say most nutrition experts.
The United States has the world’s safest and most plentiful food supply. Each day, however, the majority of Americans make poor choices regarding what to eat and how often to eat it, according to Cheryl Vasse, regional extension agent in human nutrition, diet and health with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.
“People of all ages are consuming more calories than they should,” she said. “We all need to try to make healthier choices and watch portion sizes.”
According to a 2000 survey from Roper Reports, a custom research group that provides information about the lifestyles, values, attitudes and buying behavior of consumers, “the share of American adults who say they are eating ‘pretty much whatever they want’ was at an all-time high of 70 percent in 2000, up from 58 percent in 1997.”
Unfortunately research shows that “whatever they want” is higher in calories and lower in nutritious value than ever before. According to the Economic Research Service (ERS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in 2000, Americans were consuming roughly 300 calories more each day than in 1985 without a corresponding increase in physical activity.
Research by the 2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, a joint committee appointed by the secretaries of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the USDA, found that most Americans need to reduce the number of calories they consume.
‘Calories do count’
“When it comes to weight control, calories do count — not the proportions of carbohydrate, fat, and protein in the diet,” states the committee’s report. In terms of nutrition, however, researchers agree that where the calories come from is important to both weight loss and overall health.
Most Americans need to increase their consumption of vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, potassium and fiber, as well as vitamins A and C by adults, according to the committee’s report. Most also need to decrease their intake of sodium, fats (especially saturated and trans fats), alcohol and added sugars, especially those found in sugar-sweetened beverages.
“[F]oods high in added sugars often supply calories but few nutrients, the so-called empty calories,” according to the ERS. “High intake of sugary snack foods and desserts — colas, candy, cookies — and reduced intake of nutrient-rich foods — fruits, vegetables, whole grains — cuts needed nutrients.”
Making choices
Though carbohydrates have been targeted as a dietary danger in recent years, especially for those already at risk for diabetes and heart disease, consuming the right kinds of carbohydrates like those found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and milk products is important to a healthy diet, according to the advisory committee report. However, recent studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that American diets are especially lacking in fruit and vegetable consumption, despite the increased availability nationwide of fruit and vegetable choices in local supermarkets.
The USDA food pyramid recommends five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily for a 2,000-calorie diet. A telephone survey of 305,000 adults conducted by the CDC in 2005 found that only one-third of those surveyed consumed fruit two or more times per day. Approximately 27 percent ate vegetables three or more times per day.
Among those surveyed, men, people over age 65 and Hispanics were more likely to consume two or more servings of fruit each day. College graduates, people with annual incomes of more than $50,000 and those who were not overweight also were more likely to consume two or more daily servings of fruit.
Similar results were reported for those eating three or more servings of vegetables each day, except that women instead of men and white Americans as opposed to other ethnic groups were more likely to eat vegetables three or more times per day.
“Many people think fruits and vegetables are expensive and don’t purchase them,” Vasse said. “They then buy convenience foods such as canned soups, which tend to be very high in sodium.”
The popularity of eating out may also be to blame for poorer nutritional choices, Vasse said, since restaurant foods tend to be higher in sodium and fats and lower in fiber, calcium and iron than home-cooked foods. According to the ERS, food prepared outside the home may be an emerging problem with children and teenagers, especially teenage girls.
“[O]nly a small fraction of female adolescents met the recommended intakes for calcium, dietary fiber, and iron,” states the ERS report “The Diets of America’s Children.”
Compared with other children, female teens have the largest proportion of meals and snacks away from home; have the highest tendency to skip morning meals, which are generally high in iron and calcium; and drink the least fluid milk.
Because of the long-term implications of children’s poor eating habits, the USDA has worked since the mid-1990s to improve the quality of meals served under the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. Though local school authorities plan the meals, lunches and breakfasts must meet federal nutrition guidelines, including applicable recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommend that no more than 30 percent of an individual’s calories come from fat and less than 10 percent from saturated fat.
The ERS has estimated that health conditions linked to dietary behavior account for $250 billion annually in medical expenses and lost productivity. And while weight loss tends to be the focus of dietary planning for most Americans, Susan Dudley, formerly of the National Research Center for Women & Families, wrote in an August 2006 article, “Obesity in America: Eating for Better Health and Lower Body Mass Index,” that it should not be the only goal.
“The more important goal is to keep your risk of developing chronic disease and dying younger as low as possible. Fad diets, diet pills, protein powders, liposuction and even intestinal or gastric bypass surgery might provide a leaner profile, but they don’t provide the nutrients needed to keep you as healthy as you could be.”
For more information and a customized food plan, visit www.mypyramid.gov or www.healthierus.gov.
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