Americans unaware of what they eat

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDJan 5 2011

A recent poll has found that 90% Americans say their diet is healthy but only a quarter limit the amount of fat or sugar they eat, and two-thirds do not eat enough fruit and vegetables.

Nancy Metcalf of Consumer Reports Health, which conducted the poll said, “Americans tend to give themselves high marks for healthy eating, but when we asked how many sugary drinks, fatty foods, and fruits and veggies they consumed, we found that their definition of healthy eating was questionable.”

The poll involved 1,234 American adults. Results showed that 89.7 per cent said their diet was “somewhat” (52.6%), “very” (31.5%), or “extremely” healthy (5.6%) 43 per cent of the survey respondents said they drank at least one sugary soda or other sweetened drink every day, and just one in four said they limited sweets, sugars or fats in their diet, the poll found. Nearly 40% Americans admitted to eating “pretty much everything” or “mostly everything” that they wanted.

Very few know the number of calories they consume and at least 40% said their own weights incorrectly. At least one third of the polled adults thought they weighed normal when they were actually overweight or obese.

Eight per cent thought they were overweight or obese, but their weights suggested they were not. One third of the Americans are obese or overweight and losing weight is the second most popular New Year’s resolution this year after quitting smoking said another poll published last week by the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion.

At least 30 percent Americans surveyed by Consumer Reports said they eat five or more servings of fresh fruit or vegetables daily, as recommended by health officials. Many of these believed that they consumed enough. 29 per cent of Americans thought veggies spoil too quickly and did not consume more. 14 percent believed vegetables cost too much and 17 percent had family members who despised vegetables. 13 percent disliked vegetables anyway.