One-third of Americans weren’t taught healthy eating habits

According to Del Monte Foods’ “2020 State of Healthy Eating in America Study,” [pdf] one in three Americans said they were never taught about nutrition. The study also revealed that while 70% of Americans said that when they eat a healthy diet, they feel like “the best version of themselves,” 32% of millennials feel a “significant amount of social pressure and anxiety” around what they eat.

While 86% of Americans responded that eating fruits and vegetables is crucial to maintaining a healthy diet, trying to eat well remains a significant stress factor (49%) for all generations. This stress can perhaps be attributed to a variety of ideas, including the following:

• 63% of people think they must sacrifice fun to eat healthily
• 30% believe they’d have to reduce restaurant outings to afford healthier food
• One in five Americans think they’d have to give up entertainment subscriptions (Netflix, Spotify, etc.) to maintain a healthy diet

The report found that 78% of people think fresh food is healthy, and only 13% of people consider packaged food to be healthy. Also, 58% of Americans said they find it more difficult to keep fresh food in their home, and one in three believed it to be a waste of money because it goes bad so quickly. The study concluded that greater education around healthy choices could help further alleviate stress around eating.

Report (pdf)