Cutting back on sugary drinks and adding more whole grains to their diets, Americans are finally making healthy lifestyle choices, a U.S. study suggests.
Although many people still consume too much sugar, processed food and not enough fruits and vegetables, these changes highlight some improvements in Americans’ eating habits, the study published in JAMA found.
“The overall diet is still far from optimal – less than one-third of American adults meet guidelines for most foods,” said senior study author Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, dean of the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy in Boston.
“The single biggest focus should be on reducing highly processed foods rich in refined grains, starch, added sugars and salt; and increasing minimally processed healthful foods such as fruits, non-starchy vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, fish and yogurt,” Mozaffarian added by email.
Researchers studied the eating habits of almost 34,000 adults aged 20 or older from 1999 to 2012.
Under healthy eating recommendations from the American Heart Association (AHA), a healthy diet includes at least 4.5 cups a day of fruits and vegetables, at least three ounces a day of fiber-rich whole grains and at least seven ounces a week of fish, Reuters reported.
Overall, the percentage of Americans with unhealthy diets decreased from 56 percent to 46 percent during the study period.
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