September 16, 2004 – Nearly seven in ten Americans (69%) say they have good eating habits, and 87% believe that healthy eating is the key to good health. Yet two in three are overweight or obese. How to explain such a paradox?
According to a poll in August, most Americans say they know what it is to eat healthy. That’s good news in itself, according to University of Texas health science expert S. Ward Casscells, because it means people are probably well informed. But according to him, putting this knowledge into practice would be hampered by the lack of will shown by the Americans. A situation that would be responsible for the gap that exists between individual intentions and the reality of epidemic obesity that prevails in the United States.
Hélène Baribeau, nutritionist, sees this apparent paradox from another angle. “We can eat healthy while gaining weight because we often forget that we must take into account the quantities ingested. She adds that energy expenditure must be proportional to the number of calories consumed, otherwise our efforts to lose weight will be doomed to failure.
“Choosing brown rice rather than white rice is good, but not if you take more than two cups per meal!” In other words, the Americans surveyed may well be eating healthy as they claim, but we do not know how much of the right foods they eat or what kind of physical activity they engage in.
While 56% of those surveyed admit they have extra pounds, only 8% say they are dieting. A surprising fact when you consider how flourishing the weight loss industry is in North America. Another information that may be thought-provoking: just over two-thirds of the individuals consulted say they take vitamins or natural herbal products.
These results come from a survey conducted by the firm Zogby International between August 16 and 20, among 1,200 Americans chosen at random. They answered about sixty questions relating to health.
Marie france Coutu – PasseportSanté.net
According to AP
