About 95 percent of Americans believe that as far as eating goes, balance, variety and moderation are the keys to good health, according to results of a Gallup survey released Tuesday. But when it comes down to putting those general criteria to work in constructing healthful diets most people fall short, the survey indicates.
”The poll shows Americans are surprisingly knowledgeable about nutrition and health,” says Nancy S. Wellman, a registered dietitian and president of the American Dietetic Association, ”but when it comes to translating facts into food choices, most still opt for quick fixes and the latest health fads.” The survey was commissioned by the ADA and the International Food Informational Council.
While the poll showed that 83 percent of those surveyed recognize that what they eat may affect their future health and 77 said they were familiar with the basic food groups, it also exposed several popular misconceptions. For instance, 67 percent believe there are ”good” and ”bad” foods, while 35 percent believe that high-fat foods cannot be part of a healthful diet, even when balanced with low-fat food choices.
Wellman points out that 52 percent of adults reported increasing their consumption of oat bran and 48 percent said they were increasing the use of vitamin supplements. Yet when asked if they were increasing anything else in their diet because of health concerns, only 8 percent reported eating more vegetables and just 6 percent said they were consuming more fruits and fruit juices.
”Many consumers seem to view food as a medicine,” says Margo A. Denke, M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine at the Center for Human Nutrition at the Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, who consulted on the study. ”They think adding or eliminating a particular food or ingredient will automatically prevent or cure illness. Such an approach is not only unrealistic, but it can prove harmful.”
In the survey, for instance, 45 percent of the adults reported they were eliminating red meat and 36 percent said they were cutting out dairy foods from their diets.
There seems to be much confusion when it comes to dietary fat. While 56 percent said they worry about fat and cholesterol, 35 percent said they were unsure if there is any difference between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol and 15 percent believe they are the same. In fact, they are quite different: Dietary cholesterol is that which is taken in through food while blood cholesterol is manufactured and processed by the body.
Sixty-five percent of those polled believe that all foods should contain 30 percent or fewer calories from fat, a figure dietitians recommend for an average fat caloric intake over time, not as a standard for specific food items.
”In searching for the `perfect` food, many people lose sight of the big picture,” says Wellman, ”What`s important is the nutritional adequacy of the total diet over time, not whether individual foods are good or bad in terms of fat or other nutrients.”
The survey was based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 772 adults, 18 and older, Dec. 11 through 28. The estimated error is plus or minus 4 percent.
In noting where they obtained their nutrition information, 46 percent listed magazines and newspapers, 22 percent said television and only 13 percent noted their information came from their physician or dietitian. However, 55 percent found advice from their doctor ”very useful” while only 23 percent found magazines, newspapers and television that pertinent.
The ADA is the country`s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals and is dedicated to the promotion of optimal health and nutrition of the population. The IFIC is a nonprofit organization supported by leading food and beverage companies that provides scientific information on food safety and nutrition to health professionals, journalists, educators and consumers.
