Distracted: Looking for Health
in All the Wrong Places
Jeff Novick, MS, RDN

It seems that we have our priorities mixed up.  Many well-meaning people who are trying to do the right thing are putting tremendous amounts of time, energy and effort into avoiding things that may not have much of an impact on them at all while, at the same time and without realizing it, indulging in things that are very harmful to their health.  

Our nation is literally dying from an excess of calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, refined carbs/grains, added sugars, added salts, added oils and hydrogenated/trans fats. Instead of trying to avoid the issues that are known to be responsible for the most sickness and disease, most shoppers are looking to avoid other issues. And, while these other issues may have some importance, they have absolutely nothing to do with our epidemic of lifestyle-related chronic diseases. I call this distracted health.

A survey of over 1,000 Americans by the Consumer Reports National Research Center confirms this.

"Consumers care a lot about how their food is produced, and they have some specific concerns. Based on a recent national survey of more than 1,000 Americans by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, most told us that they want their food produced in an environmentally friendly way, and they look to labels for cues as they make their decisions. When purchasing food, they want to support local farmers. Their other concerns include finding food that’s locally produced. And most are even willing to pay more for food to ensure that it was produced in fair working conditions."

Here is what consumers look for when it comes to food labeling:­­
66% Locally grown
59%  Natural
50%  No artificial growth hormones
49%  Pesticide-free
49%  Organic
48%  No artificial ingredients
40%  Non-GMO
39%  Antibiotic free
36%  Certified humane
­31%  Fair trade

The Nielsen Global Snacking Survey, "Snack Attack: What Consumers Are Reaching For Around The World” further confirms this.

They polled 30,000 online consumers in 60 countries to identify which snacks are most popular around the world and which health, taste and texture attributes are most important in the selection criteria. They found that healthy ingredients draw more customers.  They found more than 40% of consumers view labels like "all natural" "no artificial colors" and "no artificial flavors" as "very important" when making purchasing decisions. 

"Snacks with all-natural ingredients are rated very important by 45% of global respondents and moderately important by 32%—the highest percentages out of the 20 health attributes included in the study. The absence of artificial colors (44%), genetically modified organisms (43%) and artificial flavors (42%) are also rated very important when it comes to the snacks we eat. Caffeine-free (23%) and gluten-free (19%) snacks are very important for about one-fourth and one-fifth of global respondents, respectively.”

And food companies and restaurants respond to this information by giving people what they are looking for. Here is an example of the power of distracted health in action. 

A few years ago, Subway announced that "it will eliminate artificial flavors, colors and preservatives from the menu over the next 18 months, joining the ranks of restaurants hoping to cash in on consumer demand for healthy food. Among the axed ingredients is the caramel coloring added to steak and pastrami.”    

Didn't you know? The problem with steak and pastrami is the caramel coloring!  

Even nutrient claims on packages can act as a distraction. A study in the “Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics” found that when a snack food carried a nutrient claim for vitamin fortification, “participants were 1) less likely to look for nutrition information on the Nutrition Facts label, 2) more likely to select the product for purchase, 3) more likely to perceive the product as healthier, and 4) less likely to correctly choose the healthier product.”

A locally grown, all natural, fair-trade, certified humane, Non-GMO, no artificial ingredients, organic, pesticide free potato chip or French fry with a nutrient claim is still junk food. Even if it is vegan. If all of our food were to meet all the above criteria that consumers are looking for, it would have virtually no impact on our epidemics of obesity, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, etc. and overall, we would not be any healthier. These kinds of distractions lead to many of us focusing our time, energy and attention on things that will have little impact.

However, avoiding foods high in calorie density, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, refined cereals/grains, added sugars, added salts, added oils, hydrogenated/trans fats and hyper-palatable overly processed foods will go a long way to help prevent, stop and reverse our epidemic of lifestyle-related chronic diseases. 
 
In Health,
Jeff