U.S. Adults Follow Increasingly Healthy, Low-Calorie Diet: USDA

A latest research highlights the improvements in diet quality of Americans, showing that they are utilizing the nutrition information to choose healthier food.

According to the report presented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service, U.S. adults are choosing healthier, low-calorie food.

A change in the dietary pattern is noticed as Americans have started consuming less cholesterol and more fiber. This finding emphasizes on accomplishment of the earnest efforts undertaken since 2009 to enhance the food choice and diet quality among Americans and also ensure the access to healthy food. Apart from this, the adults were given access to nutrition education and advice.

"The Obama Administration is working hard to empower the American public to make smart choices every day at school, at home and in their communities," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement. "We have made significant progress, but our work is not done. We will continue to invest in critical programs that expand the availability of healthy, safe, affordable food for all Americans."

The researchers also noticed a rise in the use of nutrition information over the recent years. When making food choices, nearly 42 percent of the working age adults and 57 percent of the older adults admitted using the Nutrition Fact Panel found on food packages. in restaurants 76 percent of the working age adults claimed to have used the information.

Consumption of fast food and food in restaurants dropped showing a 20 percent improvement in diet quality.

"When individuals believe that their actions directly affect their body weight, they might be more inclined to make healthier food choices," said study author Jessica Todd, Ph.D., of the Economic Research Service.

The researchers worked on the data retrieved from the NHANES that focused on the dietary intake of working age adults. The survey included 9,839 individuals. They noticed a drop in the caloric intake by 78 calories per day between 2005 and 2010. A 3.3 percent reduction in total fat, 5.9 percent drop in saturated fat, 7.9 percent fall in intake of cholesterol. On the other hand they noticed an increase of 1.2 grams of fiber per day.