A study released by the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows that more Americans are shifting to healthier diet practices.
The federal department conducted interviews on approximately 10,000 Americans who were sampled in three separate batches between 2005 and 2010. Their findings showed that working-age adult Americans are consuming 118 calories less than they do four years ago. They also found that more families are opting to eat home-cooked meals rather than in restaurants. The number of people reading nutritional labels on food items when they go grocery shopping has also improved.
According to experts, the problem with obesity-related diseases still persists but these shifts in eating behavior are positive trends. Experts contribute this awareness on healthy eating to the intensive campaign for healthy eating practices as well as the pressure put on food establishments to offer healthier choices.
The USDA report also noted that 20 percent of the diet improvements of those who were surveyed can be traced back to those who decided to cut back on restaurant meals and fast food.
Jessica Todd, author of the report, explained to the Wall Street Journal that the decrease may due to "an increase in consumer focus on nutrition in selecting foods, changes in the quality of foods available and greater nutritional information available to consumers."
Another factor for this shift is that the recent economy has left many Americans struggling with their food budget. "The good news is we're getting healthier, the bad news is, we're poorer," stated Harry Balzer, a food analyst from the NPD Group, to WSJ. He also observed that the median U.S. household income remained the same for 2011 and 2012.
This new report somewhat contradicts another report that obesity rate in the U.S has been increasing. If more people are eating healthy, why is obesity growing? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the obesity rate in the U.S has remained high with one-third of the adults (35.7 percent) and 12.5 million children and teens being obese.
