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Public health can’t stop making the same nutrition mistake (www.theatlantic.com)

submitted 2 days ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/health@lemmy.world

14 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Summary

Efforts to improve Americans' diets, including the FDA's new "healthy" labeling guidelines, have minimal impact, with only 0-0.4% of people expected to change habits.

Surveys show Americans want to eat healthier, but with over 70% of U.S. adults overweight, many fail.

While giving consumers more information about food seems logical, real-world results show it rarely changes eating habits. Factors like taste, price, and convenience outweigh health concerns.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s plans focus on banning ingredients and subsidies face major legal and systemic challenges.

Addressing affordability and access is critical for progress.

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[–] disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 15 points 2 days ago (1 children)

If we want to address obesity in the US, we need to start with education. Accurate labelling is absolutely important, but there are many ways to hide poor nutrition while adhering to FDA guidelines.

The average American doesn’t understand the difference between simple and complex carbohydrates, for example. A gram of carbohydrates from Cheetos is not dietarily equal to a gram from brown rice. I highly doubt the FDA will ever require transparency to the point of adversely affecting profit, so it’s entirely up to the consumer.

[–] ChonkyOwlbear@lemmy.world 11 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I once worked on a nutrition education program on the south side of Chicago. I met a lady with a child who didn't know apples had sugar. She literally didn't get that sweet taste=sugar.

[–] disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Oh for sure. My daughter’s dentist said apple juice was one of the leading causes of cavities in kids. Many parents think it’s fine just because it’s natural.

[–] spankmonkey@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It doesn't help that most apple juice aimed at kids has added sugar on top of the natural sugars.

[–] MutilationWave@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

Kids grow fast so their brain and body are screaming for more sugar. Juice is fucking terrible for everyone, especially the ones with added sugar. We aren't hairless savanna apes anymore (well we are but that's a different conversation), but our brains are still the same.