Despite surging obesity numbers in the U.S., a new survey finds that just one out of 10 Americans say their diet is unhealthy.
The survey, conducted by Consumer Reports, also found that while four in 10 admitted being “somewhat overweight,” just 11 percent said they were very overweight or obese — a direct contradiction of previous weight measurements taken by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which show that 68 percent of Americans are overweight or obese.
Is Our Fast Food Nation Kidding Itself?
“There does seem to be a disconnect,” between reality and the answers most of us give when asked questions about our diet, how much exercise we get and our weight, said Molly Kimball, a registered dietitian at Ochshner’s Elmwood Fitness Center in New Orleans.
Part of the disconnect, Kimball said, comes from the way foods are marketed to us.
“So many people think that what they’re eating is healthy — diet frozen dinners, fat-free ice cream, 100-calorie pretzel packs. Or they say, ‘I never eat fast food,’ but that doesn’t mean they’re not eating a lot of other unhealthy things,” she said.
In her practice, Kimball said, people tell her all the time that they don’t understand why they’re not losing weight, because they believe they’re eating healthy foods.
But I’m not fat! Are Americans fooling themselves? – Health – Diet and nutrition – msnbc.com
