According to a recent health survey conducted by the International Food Information Council Foundation (IFIC), Americans are a lot of things, but trusting is not one of them.
In its seventh annual food and health survey, the IFIC – a non-profit association in Washington, D.C. – found some interesting trends and a few setbacks regarding the health of Americans.
A few of the biggest highlights were that taste still reigns supreme when considering food purchases, technology such as mobile weight apps may be the health coach of the future, and conflicting information regarding nutrition has led many Americans to trust themselves when it comes to discerning their health.
The web-based survey included 1,057 participants, and was designed to reflect the American population ages 18-80. The report sought to gain a deeper understanding of consumer behaviors concerning health and food from both from a year to year standpoint, and over a long length of time. Although there was much information presented in this year’s report, here are a few of the most relevant and revealing highlights.
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American girls are reaching puberty at an earlier age. This has medical and health experts very concerned about the health consequences and risk factors associated with early development. Here’s why:
According to a report issued in the journal Pediatrics, about 15 percent of 1,239 girls studied showed the beginnings of breast development at age 7. One in 10 white girls showed breast growth by age 7 as did 23 percent of black girls and 15 percent of Hispanic girls. These percentages are twice the figures reported in 1997.
The long-term health risks associated with early development are increased risk for estrogen-dependent cancers like breast cancer and endometrial cancers. But the more immediate effects of premature puberty are the social, emotional and mental consequences of developing breasts early or getting a period before the third grade. Risk of confusion, depression, low self-esteem, body image challenges and eating disorders are all increased.
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Pop-Tarts World Store. Image via: AP Photo/Richard Drew.
Leave it to NYC to create a culinary creation called the Pop-Tart World Store. Located in nowhere else but Times Square, the Pop-Tarts Cafe is fun and funky take on one of the country’s most processed iconic foods: The Pop-Tart.
According to the New York Times, the Pop-Tarts World Store also features the Pop-Tarts Cafe, which will offer about 30 different menu selections from Pop-Tarts Sushi to “Fluffer Butter” (“marshmallow spread sandwiched between two Pop-Tarts frosted fudge pastries”).
The fun and zaniness factor of the Pop-Tarts Cafe is clearly off the charts but sadly, its nutritional statistics are also pretty extreme.
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The first step to solving a problem is admitting that you have one. This may be happening for Americans and their perception of their own weight.
According to a new government survey released this week, after polling 400,000 people by phone, they found that 27 percent of Americans are obese. The problem is, a more accurate and scientific study on the number has it closer to 34 percent.
What this means is that not enough people are being honest about their weight. The good news is that the gap between fact and fiction is closing.
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As a nutrition expert, people are always asking me for my “weight loss secrets.” The truth is, I don’t have any secrets. I think the credible information that would help most people is already out there. Things are changing ever so slowly. I see a growing trend toward simplifying weight loss strategies. Many people are saying that they aren’t dieting (yay!), they’re just making healthier food choices and only eating when hungry. (That’s a big one. Try it for one day and you will realize, you really don’t know what hunger and fullness feels like.)
One simple tip I can offer is to avoid eating like a typical American – the SAD diet (Standard American Diet). I recently appeared on TV with a client to show how she is losing weight – and inches – by avoiding the SAD eating habits of typical Americans.
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