Are you confused about what healthy eating means? A lot of us are, according to a new survey. It finds that one in three Americans admit they have no idea what a “healthy plate” looks like.
The survey of 2-thousand U.S. adults highlights some of the misconceptions about nutrition and how they affect what we put on our plates.
- About two-thirds (69%) know that a balanced diet includes nutrients like carbohydrates, fiber, proteins, fats and more.
- But many people don’t understand what they need to be eating for a healthy balanced diet, thinking fruit and veggies should make up a combined total of 38% instead of the 50% recommended.
- Protein gets a lot of attention and people are pretty close to knowing the correct amount to eat, which is 25%, only slightly less than the 28% respondents thought.
- A quarter of those polled didn’t know that grain-based foods are recommended to be eaten on a daily basis.
- The thing is, 54% say they’ve made changes to their diet to eat healthier, but they weren’t well-informed about what that really looks like.
- They got some things right with the changes, like drinking more water (56%), cutting down on processed foods (39%) and trying to eat more fiber (25%).
- But 58% think it’s okay to cut carbs out completely, without realizing what nutrients they’ll be missing by removing this food group entirely.
- Just over half (54%) are under the false impression that all processed foods are bad for you.
- Only half (49%) correctly understand that the body uses carbs for energy and 47% mistakenly count on protein alone to get that energy throughout the day.
Source: Talker