If you want to keep your body in good shape, you must understand how important it is to eat right. However, new research suggests that many people think their weight loss diet is healthier than it actually is.
"Although people generally know that fruits and vegetables are healthy, we found that there may be differences between what researchers and health professionals consider a healthy, balanced diet and what the public believes is a healthy, balanced diet," he said. According to study author Jessica Cheng, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in epidemiology at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and General Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, EurekAlert!
The study, presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2022 event, looked at 116 adults ages 35 to 58 from the greater Pittsburgh area. Everyone wants to lose weight, and before they use the Fitbit app to track what their diet includes throughout the year, they talk to a nutritionist to track their physical activity and weight.
They gave themselves a score of one to 100 to determine how healthy their diet was. The researchers evaluated diets based on the Healthy Eating Index (HEI), which the US government uses as a reference for dietary guidelines for Americans.
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The results showed that 75% of participants misreported their diet, with most believing their diet was healthier than researchers thought. Specifically, participants scored 67.6 out of 100 points, an average of 56.4 points when using higher education institutions. After a full year, participants thought they had improved their diet by 18 points compared to 1 point on the Higher Education Index.
"The results don't surprise me," says Lisa Young, PhD, RDN, Whole , Finally Slim , a nutritionist in private practice, and author of This Eat Not This! Seek professional medical advice. "There's a lot of confusion about what a healthy diet really is."
"For example," Yang continued, "while people know they should eat more vegetables, many people don't realize that a salad with big toppings like croutons, honey toasted nuts, and dressing can cause weight gain."
"That's a problem because if you think the food is healthy, you don't pay attention to the amount you're eating, which can ultimately lead to weight gain," Yang explains. That's why if your goal is to lose a few pounds, Young says, "It's really important to pay attention to what you eat."
"It's important for healthcare providers to discuss these healthy eating habits with patients," Yang added.