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special
report
 Health
& Wellness - A Healthy Self Image
Introduction
Starting Out in the Gym
To the Last Drop
Launching a weight-training program
Fitness Centers
A Healthy Self Image
Fit to Eat
The Path to Weight Control Bliss
Could Clinics be an Answer?
What do we think of
our health, weight, diet, and physical activity?  Are
we as healthy, fit and well as we tell ourselves? That depends…The
experts surveyed a bunch of us and came up with some startling
conclusions.
During the winter of
2007, the International Food Information Council repeated a
survey of American men and women’s perceptions of their health
that had first been conducted in 2006. Some of the results were
surprising.
General
Perceptions
More Americans today
believe their health status has improved, with 39 percent
indicating their health is “excellent” or “very good,”
compared to 33 percent in the 2006 survey. Although there was no
change year to year, Americans’ degree of satisfaction with
their health status remained relatively high, with 58 percent
indicating they were “extremely satisfied” or “somewhat
satisfied.”
The respondents
indicated that physical activity (94 percent), weight (91
percent), and diet (90 percent) are all influential factors on a
person’s overall health.
Weight
Peoples’ concern
with their weight appears to be a very strong factor in
influencing a decision to make a dietary change. Seventy-five
percent say they are apprehensive about their weight, whereas 66
percent of respondents in the 2006 survey had weight concerns.
In addition, 70 percent cite their reason for making dietary
changes is “to lose weight,” and 56 percent say they are
actively “trying to lose weight.”
Diet and Physical
Activity
More Americans (66
percent) reported making changes to improve the healthfulness of
their diet compared to 57 percent last year. The specific types
of dietary changes most often reported are “changing meal and
snack patterns” (59 percent) and “reducing portion sizes” (58
percent). Interestingly, 23 percent of Americans reported “increased
physical activity” as a specific diet-related change in 2007
compared to 15 percent last year. Sixty percent of Americans who
are trying to lose weight say they are making an effort “to
reduce the number of calories” they consume. However, there
appears to be an important disconnect between this reported
behavior and Americans’ general knowledge about calories. For
example, only 11 percent correctly estimated the recommended
number of calories per day for a person of their age and weight,
31 percent correctly understand that calories from any source
contribute equally to potential weight gain, and 44 percent
report that they do not balance diet and physical activity to
manage their weight (calories consumed versus calories
expended).
Dietary Fats
Seventy-two percent
of Americans indicated in 2007 that they are concerned with both
the amount and types of fats they consume, compared to 66
percent last year. Concern over trans fat appears to be an
important contributor to this overall increase. Awareness of
trans fat grew to 87 percent in 2007 from 81 percent last year.
Sixty-three percent of Americans say they use trans fat
information on the Nutrition Facts Panel of food products they
purchase, up from just 49 percent last year. And 75 percent of
Americans say they are limiting their consumption of trans fat,
up from 54 percent in 2006. However, 63 percent of Americans
believe that more healthful oils are being used in food
products, versus 45 percent last year. Although Americans know
that type of fat is important, knowledge of the types that
dietary guidance recommends be consumed in larger amounts,
including mono and polyunsaturated fats, is limited. Awareness
of both of these healthful fats has declined over the past year,
and the number of Americans who are trying to consume less
polyunsaturated fats increased to 42 percent from 33 percent in
2006.
Carbohydrates,
Low-Calorie Sweeteners, and Sugars
Americans are more
concerned with the amount of sugar they consume (70 percent in
2007 versus 63 percent in 2006) and the type of sugar they
consume (58 percent versus 53 percent). Overall consumption
trends remain consistent for low-calorie sweeteners, with the
exception of aspartame, where we find a significant decrease in
the number of Americans who are trying to consume less (31
percent) compared to 2006 (40 percent). Even though there was no
significant change in Americans’ concern over the amount of
carbohydrates they consume, concern with the type of
carbohydrates they consume increased to 52 percent in 2007 from
47 percent in 2006.
Foods and Beverages
with Added Health and Wellness Benefits
Although “taste”
and “price” continue to have the greatest impact on
Americans’ decisions to buy foods and beverages, the
importance of “healthfulness” is growing (65 percent in 2007
versus 58 percent in 2006). When asked (without prompting) what
changes they are making to improve the healthfulness of their
diet, Americans indicated they are both increasing (36 percent
in 2007 versus 23 percent in 2006) and decreasing (29 percent in
2007 versus 21 percent in 2006) consumption of specific foods
and beverages. In making dietary changes, Americans say they
agree that certain foods and beverages can improve “heart
health” (80 percent), maintain overall health and wellness (76
percent), improve physical energy or stamina (76 percent), and
improve digestive health (75 percent).
 Meal
Occasions
Ninety percent of
consumers named breakfast as the most important meal of the day,
followed by dinner (87 percent) and lunch (80 percent); however,
only 49 percent of consumers eat breakfast seven days per week.
Snacks are also an important part of most Americans’ day, with
nearly all Americans (93 percent) consuming at least one snack
per day.
Caffeine Consumption
Less than half of
Americans say they “do not limit their caffeine intake” (40
percent), while 48 percent are “actively limiting or trying to
limit their intake,” and
another 12 percent have “eliminated caffeine” from their
diets.
Food Allergies
Finally, only 16
percent of the American public can accurately identify the
correct percentage of the U.S. population that has food
allergies (five percent of the population).
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