U.S. Eating Behavior - Statistics & Facts

A recent survey revealed that some 71 percent of U.S. consumers would assess their overall diet as “could be healthier”. In that context, barely half of Americans indicated that they thought quite a lot about the level of nutrition in the food and beverages they consume. Over the past year, however, U.S. consumers have made an effort to eat more fruits and vegetables and made small changes to achieve an overall healthy diet.

In general, U.S. consumers considered vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diets to be healthy. Eating approaches also differed among generations. Baby Boomers favored the lactose-free diet while Millennials leaned toward the vegetarian variety. Americans try to include vegetables, fruits, poultry, and fish and seafood in their diets. Sugars and fats are mostly avoided.

There is also a difference of opinion between experts and the public, in terms of which types of food they consider healthy. Disputed food categories include granola bars, coconut oil and frozen yogurt.

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