Americans Are Eating Healthier, But Is It Enough?

If you’ve found yourself on a kale, quinoa, or juice kick over the last few years, congrats! You are one of the Americans responsible for helping the country get back on track with healthy eating. But don’t give yourself too much credit just yet — we still have a long way to go.

The Harvard School of Public health studied the changing diets of Americans from 1999 to 2010 by looking at national health surveys of 29,124 adults. The surveys utilized the Alternate Healthy Eating Index, which scores dietary quality from 1 to 110. What they saw was that the average American’s diet went up from 39.9 to 46.8 during that time period and a large portion of that was from people cutting trans fats out of their diets. They also found that Americans are eating way more produce and consuming less sugary soda, despite the fact that Mayor Bloomberg’s anti-soda plan kind of backfired on him.

And Michelle Obama would have an “I-Told-You-So” moment with the study’s other important findings. Namely, the discrepancy in change among different socioeconomic groups. The researchers discovered that dietary quality was the worst among those with 12 years or less of schooling, and that their change towards healthier eating happened more slowly.The difference is likely due to the existence of food deserts, and the high prices of quality, healthy grocery items.

“Considering the elevated disease risk associated with poor dietary quality, dietary assessment and counseling in clinical settings deserves greater attention,” the study authors wrote in their assessment.

Despite the rising numbers, however, it is important to note that 46.8 is still an incredibly low score if the highest we can get is 110. Think about that the next time you’re considering reaching for a cookie instead of an apple — let’s at the very least strive for a passing grade here, guys.

[Pic via Flickr - Walmart]