What Dictates America's Eating Habits?

[dreadfulpenny81.livejournal.com]

Food. We all eat it and we all need it to sustain, but the eating habits of Americans have gotten worse.

Gallup published a poll on June 9 that shows declines from the same polling period the previous year. First, here's a graph showing the results from Jan. 2008 to the present time.



This year, 55.9% of Americans said they ate five or more servings of fruits and vegetables at least four times a week (recommended). That's down from 57.8% the same time last year. Produce consumption is reduced mainly in young adults, seniors, women, and Hispanics. Hispanics and young adults were the least likely to consume the full servings of fruits and vegetables according to the poll.

May is usually the start of the strongest period of health improvement among Americans because of seasonal changes, but rising gas prices are affecting purchase power and grocery costs.

What can be done to change this? Have you noticed any differences in your diet or health habits due to rising gas and food costs?

I can say from my own experience that I've shaved a few things off my grocery list or bought more frozen/canned fruits and vegetables than fresh because of costs. I think if people have access to a farmers market, they should definitely take advantage because it's a great way to support small, local farmers who might be struggling and obtain fresh produce without grocery store markup.

Bonus: I'm not sure if this was posted before, but Hunch.com conducted a non-scientific poll with 700,000 of its users to determine eating habits and political affiliation. Are there similarities between your eating habits and what the infographic shows?

(Note: Mods, is there any way we can get a 'nutrition' tag? Thanks!) Thanks for adding the tag! :D

Comments

[soliloquy76.livejournal.com]

What Dictates America's Eating Habits?

Price and convenience.

Additionally, manufacturers compete with each other for shelf space, so usually the big producers end up with their product on the shelves of large grocery chains. So they end up controlling the vast majority of what makes it to our table.

My eating habits have gotten worse since I was a kid because of my job/lifestyle. I work behind a computer most of the day, so I tend to go for the quick meal and end up getting less exercise than I need to. Just a symptom of the times, I suppose.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

I don't know where Stop and Shop gets its broccoli from, but it's fantastic. It's never bitter like the other stuff I have purchased at the vegetable stands in the area, which ironically is much cheaper. But yeah, it's not a cheap item-considering how much you end up throwing away (i.e. the thick stalk, but I suppose I could end up putting that in a food processor and make some nice cream of broccoli and cheese soup ;)

[a-new-machine.livejournal.com]

Or just man up, cook the stalk with the florets and eat it.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

/me grabs his testicles and mans up and rubs his nose and talks all Jersey like....like The Situation

[stewstewstewdio.livejournal.com]

Food. We all eat it and we all need it to sustain, but the eating habits of Americans have gotten worse.

Is it me or is this community turning into the new Oprah?

[luvdovz.livejournal.com]

There can be only one Oprah! :P

[mrsilence.livejournal.com]

I personally would be happy to see all the Oprahs duel it out decapitation-by-sword style to be the last Oprah standing.

[policraticus.livejournal.com]

What can be done to change this?

We can nationalize and standardize the eating habits of Americans through taxation, regulation and enforcement of scientific best practices regarding diet and exercise. Prohibition of bad food and requirements for the consumption of good food seems like a common sense solution. I am sure once people realize it is for their own good and in the interest of their long term health, they will fall in line.

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

+1

[fizzyland.livejournal.com]

You will jog for the master race
And always wear the happy face

[telemann.livejournal.com]

LOL

[mrsilence.livejournal.com]

Or we could just educate them as best as we can, them let them decide as they will.

[policraticus.livejournal.com]

They are bound to make adverse choices. This is not a recipe for optimizing our people's health.

[paft.livejournal.com]

Is anyone seriously proposing banning bad foods and imposing requirements on the consumer about the consumption of good food?

[mrbogey.livejournal.com]

Are you serious? They've banned bad food items in some localities.

[policraticus.livejournal.com]

Don't you think they should be?

[mrbogey.livejournal.com]

WE don't have to tell people what to do. Just tell them what not to do and punish them for doing so.

Just nudge them along...

[a-new-machine.livejournal.com]

Maybe we can stop subsidizing shitty food, and start subsidizing healthy food.

[paft.livejournal.com]

I'd be interested in seeing how this demographic broke down geographically. I suspect liberals are more likely to live in urban areas, and are fairly thin on the ground in certain regions, like areas of the south, the southwest, and the midwest. This may be more a reflection of regional tastes.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Here you go:

[dreadfulpenny81.livejournal.com]

How the information was gathered is at the bottom of the Gallup link in the OP (gray text at bottom).

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

btw, tag request granted.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Could we have one for "culture" or "art" I can't remember the instance where I tried to add one of those, but I received an error message. Thanks mucho in advance :)

[dreadfulpenny81.livejournal.com]

Thank you, sir.

[gunslnger.livejournal.com]

I almost never eat fruits or vegetables, I eat fast food a lot of the time, and my BMI is 22 and my cholesterol levels, glucose levels, and blood pressure are perfect. I don't know what's wrong with the rest of you.