Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Health & Wellness
Health & Wellness

Americans are Choosing to Eat Healthier Foods

By | Published on January 17, 2014 | Updated on March 25, 2016 8:00 PM EDT
CommentsComments (0) Add as a preferred source on Google i

fruits and vegetable

American adults are increasingly consulting food labels, eating less fat and downing more fiber, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service.

The report may be welcome news to those concerned about the nation’s obesity epidemic, but the restaurant industry might not relish the findings. Many of the improvements in the American diet are a result of driving past the drive-thru: “Reduced consumption of food away from home (such as food from restaurants and fast food) accounted for 20 percent of the improvements in diet quality,” the report found.

The report added: “Calories consumed through food away from home dropped by 127 calories per day, and the average person ate three fewer meals and 1.5 fewer snacks per month away from home,” suggesting that every bit helps.”
The report also suggests that Americans like nutritional information on restaurant menus, with 76 percent of working-age adults reported that they would use the information when available.

Perhaps more significantly, the survey of nearly 10,000 people suggests a changing attitude toward food and nutrition with respondents feeling more empowered about their ability to do something about an expanding waistline.
That could be a powerful tool in the fight against obesity.

“When individuals believe that their actions directly affect their body weight, they might be more inclined to make healthier food choices,” said study author Jessica Todd of the USDA’s Economic Research Service.

The USDA’s press statement credited several federal initiatives for the brightening outlook, including MyPlate and its meal planning advice and shopping strategies, SuperTracker (an online food tracking tool), setting healthier guidelines for food and beverages sold in schools, and a 67 percent increase in the number of farmers markets around the country.

“We have made significant progress, but our work is not done,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in the statement. “We will continue to invest in critical programs that expand the availability of healthy, safe, affordable food for all Americans.”

Read more: L.A. Times

Subscribe To The ABS Newsletter — Get our stories in your inbox.

Independent journalism still matters.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Latest from Atlanta Black Star

Back to top