ROSEMONT, Ill. — Eating healthier foods rather than dieting appears to be the weapon of choice against the battle of the bulge, according to Chicago-based market research firm The NPD Group. NPD reports that the percent of adults on a diet has decreased by 10 percentage points since 1990, while the percent of Americans eating healthier has increased.
NPD's "National Eating Trends" data finds that at least once in a two-week period, more than 70 percent of Americans consume reduced-fat foods, and more than half of them are eating reduced-calorie, whole-grain or fortified foods. Other "better for you" foods consumed include diet, light, reduced cholesterol, reduced-sodium, caffeine-free, sugar-free, fortified, organic, and low-carb varieties. The average American, according to "National Eating Trends," has at least two "better for you" products a day.
According to a recent NPD Fast Check Survey on economic conditions, adults who identify themselves as financially worse-off compared to last year, said that eating healthy still had the greatest impact on the food and beverages their household selects. Saving money ranked a close second.
