What Americans want from food: Energy, muscle strength, better health and less stress
Published in Health & Fitness
Here's a look at the state of the American diet, based on data from IFIC's new findings.
What's on our minds when we decide what to eat?
For starters, we are looking for something to give us energy or help fight fatigue. But health considerations are top of mind as well.
What kinds of foods are we choosing?
Protein is the most popular nutrient du jour — 20% of those surveyed said they were following a "high protein" diet in the past year, up from just 4% five years earlier. But it's hardly the only thing we want in our food.
At the same time, Americans are trying to cut back on ingredients that are bad for us.
For instance, 50% of those surveyed said they were trying to limit or avoid sodium, or salt. Too much salt can cause your blood pressure to rise, and high blood pressure (also known as hypertension) is a risk factor for serious health problems like heart disease and stroke.
In addition, 44% of those surveyed said they were trying to limit or avoid saturated fat. This is the type of fat that can cause LDL cholesterol — the bad kind — to build up in your blood vessels, which also increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.
But Public Enemy No. 1 is sugar.
What's so bad about sugar?
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