According to a new study by Harvard researchers, it is possible that you might not be eating healthy as you think
People make changes in what they eat to lose weight
Dieters strive to make healthier choices like changing dessert for fruit or reaching peanut butter-dipped celery instead of chips as a snack. However, the latest research reveals that most people continue to follow their regular eating habits and misjudge the overall change they’ve achieved.
Postdoctoral research fellow in epidemiology at Harvard T. H Chan School of Public Health and study author Jessica Cheng said that people consider vegetables and fruits healthy. However, there might be a disconnect between what healthcare professionals and researchers consider a balanced diet and healthy relative to the public’s belief of what is healthy.
Nearly 50% of American adults usually try to modify their diets when trying to lose weight. For example, they incorporate more greens and fruits in their meals, which is good for longevity and heart health. The present study looked at how effective people considered a change of diet was in weight loss compared to reality in the weight loss journey.
Researchers monitored the diets of 116 adults between 35 and 38 years actively trying to lose weight. All subjects consulted a dietician, discussed their nutrition, and used Fitbit app to track their drink and food intake for the whole year. In addition, the participants were weighed daily with the Fitbit watch recording their physical activity.
People misjudge the quality of their diet
Researchers found that one in four individuals has realistic views regarding their diets, with their self-score matching their Health Eating Index score. However, surprisingly around 75% of the participants had misleading perceptions regarding the quality of their die. For example, almost 75% of the subjects thought they had maintained a healthy diet and gave themselves a score of 67.6, but in reality, the HEI score averaged 56.4.
Therefore, to avoid misconception, people need to seek information regarding what they are consuming and diet areas they can improve alongside making healthy nutritional choices. This can help people to maintain their weight loss targets even with setbacks.
