Diet and nutrition have always been linked with health; eating healthily can greatly help decrease chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.
Dietary Guidelines for Americans aim to promote changes in American eating patterns that follow healthy food-based recommendations, such as cutting back on sodium, saturated fats and added sugars while increasing consumption of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, low-fat or nonfat dairy and protein foods.
Better Health
Healthy diets have been associated with lower risks of chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancers; improved mental health benefits and longer lives; however, costs and benefits associated with healthy eating are difficult to ascertain. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) offer evidence-based advice about creating and enjoying nutrient-dense food patterns that reflect individual tastes, cultural traditions and budgetary considerations – while meeting nutritional needs throughout life. According to Forbes, that is also the reason why Hawaii is the healthiest state in the U.S.
The DGA emphasize the importance of eating a diet rich in vegetables and fruit, whole grains, low-fat and non-fat dairy products, seafood, legumes and nuts; moderate in red meats, processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages and sodium; while being low in solid fats and added sugars. A diet like this is intended to decrease incidences of overweight and obesity while improving health outcomes such as heart disease, strokes, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers osteoporosis as well as neural tube defects in infants.
Though Americans recognize the health benefits associated with healthy eating, DGA shows that most still experience barriers to it. A recent nationally representative online survey conducted by them revealed one out of every three respondents struggle to make time to shop and prepare nutritious meals, while 23 percent listed lack of knowledge on cooking practices as an impediment to healthy eating.
DGA also shows that some consumers face psychological costs associated with healthy eating. These costs include temptations to eat unhealthy food and difficulties maintaining a diet in accordance with current recommendations; further challenges include perceiving that healthy options are more expensive and lack of access to affordable nutritious options.
Weight Loss
Although most Americans consider themselves healthy eaters, only 10% claim to always eat well. Yet studies have linked healthy diets with reduced rates of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer and more – those adhering to healthful dietary patterns more consistently show 21-34% lower cardiovascular disease mortality compared with those adhering less closely.
Dietary guidelines for Americans (DGA) define a healthy diet as following these parameters: it limits sodium, saturated and trans fats, added sugars and refined grains while emphasizing consumption of vegetables, fruits, lean meats, low-fat milk products (low-fat cheese and yogurt are fine), fish eggs beans peas nuts seeds as well as whole grains – while maintaining appropriate caloric levels.
The DGA advises consumers to use the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) as a tool to inform food choices and align diets with dietary recommendations. The index uses scores from 0 to 100 for foods and meals consumed, with higher scores reflecting greater alignment with these recommendations.
HEI analyzes food prices, preparation time and effort costs as well as factors that might affect costs associated with healthy eating patterns. Although shopping and preparing nutritious food are significant costs of healthy living, the HEI demonstrates it’s still possible to follow an affordable nutritional diet; in fact, its results show how the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP), an inexpensive yet healthy plan meeting minimum nutrition standards, has become the basis for maximum Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program allotments; though this plan remains an expense for consumers on tight budgets.
Increased Energy
Healthy foods contain essential vitamins and minerals that fuel the body, such as whole grains, lean meats, dairy and fruits and vegetables. In contrast, eating unhealthy food increases your intake of bad fats, added sugars and sodium that deplete energy reserves in your system.
People often report the three primary obstacles to eating healthfully as being cost, time and taste. While healthy food prices have seen some decrease since 1990 relative to nonfood prices, consuming a healthy diet still requires shopping trips, meal prep preparation time and preparation – something busy consumers may struggle with. Furthermore, poorer neighborhoods tend to contain higher concentrations of fast-food restaurants which stymie healthy choices.
Additionally, many healthy foods are perceived to taste inferior compared to their alternatives; this is particularly prevalent among low-income consumers who may be used to the taste of cheaper options loaded with salt and added sugar.
As efforts are being taken to overcome these barriers, a task force has proposed changes to food programs such as SNAP that encourage healthier options through incentives like Double Bucks Nutrition Incentive Program for farmers markets. They also recommend research on the different costs of healthy and unhealthy foods for different individuals and groups; including both monetary and psychological costs that impact consumer behavior at various times of day.
Improved Mental Health
Eating nutritious food can significantly enhance mental wellbeing by providing essential nutrients for brain functioning. Consuming plenty of complex carbs, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, nuts seeds and unsaturated fats is recommended in order to protect the brain against various mental health conditions and protect its wellbeing.
A healthy diet can boost mood by reducing inflammation in the gut. This is essential since inflammation has been linked to depression and anxiety. Furthermore, plant-based foods provide abundant dietary fiber which regulates blood sugar levels – helping alleviate feelings of depression while alleviating stress and anxiety.
Not eating healthily does not only involve selecting nutritious food items; it also encompasses how and where they’re prepared, and shopping for groceries. Though a healthy diet may appear costly, prices of healthier food items have decreased over the years making monetary costs less of an obstacle. There may still be other costs involved with eating healthy such as travel time when buying groceries and creating meals; making this goal more challenging for consumers with limited resources.
One way to reduce the costs associated with healthy eating is investing in education and public policy initiatives that steer consumers toward making healthier choices, like SNAP programs like Double Bucks and GusNIP which give participants additional money for purchasing fruits and vegetables at farmers markets or other venues. The task force encourages research on ways these types of programs could be scaled to increase their effectiveness.
