It’s never been more important for Americans to eat healthily, but according to a recent study, 46 percent of US citizens believe that making healthy food choices is simply too expensive.
The data, which was sourced by Casinos En Ligne from Cleveland Clinic and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, also revealed that nearly one-fourth of Americans don’t have time to prepare healthy meals.
Age seems to have played a factor in the results.
Baby Boomers lead the way with 58 percent saying that they were trying to eat healthily. That was followed by 51 percent of Gen X and Millennials compared to only 44 percent of Gen Z Americans who were trying to make healthy food choices.
Check out the highlights from the study below:
- 46 percent of Americans believe it’s too expensive to eat healthy
- 58 percent of Baby Boomers are trying to eat healthy
- 44 percent of Gen Z Americans are making healthy food choices
46 percent of Americans believe it’s too expensive to eat healthy
Almost half of Americans believe that healthy food is more expensive. According to a survey conducted by the Cleveland Clinic, 45 percent of Americans purchase food from a fast-food restaurant at least once a week with the majority stemming from the younger generation.
Eating healthily requires a lot of time, effort, and accessibility. In today’s fast-paced world, Americans are pressed for time. On top of being expensive, 23 percent of Americans don’t have time to prepare healthy meals and 20 percent say they aren’t aware of how to prepare healthy meals.
In addition, healthy foods aren’t as easily accessible in minority communities. It’s an issue for 20 percent of Black Americans, who have less access to stores that sell healthy foods.
Most of America’s biggest barriers when it comes to eating healthy stem from cost, time, and knowledge.
58 percent of Baby Boomers are trying to eat healthy
Since the rise of fast-food popularity, there has been an increased risk of obesity. The number of obese or overweight people has increased in the last five years from 66 percent to 71 percent an increase of over 7.5 percent.
A study has shown that 36.6 percent of adults eat fast food regularly. That compares with 50 percent of Americans that try to eat healthy, according to Statista Consumer Insights.
As humans age, our health becomes more valuable, and according to a recent study, our food choices tend to reflect that.
Baby Boomers represented the group most likely to make healthy food choices with 58 percent responding that they are trying to eat healthily.
44 percent of Gen Z Americans are making healthy food choices
While more than half of Baby Boomers were actively trying to eat healthily, that percentage declined the younger the respondent.
Only 44 percent of Gen Z Americans are pursuing eating healthily. The attitudes among Gen Z were lower than their Baby Boomer counterparts by 14 percentage points.
Parents can help their children make better food choices too.
About 36.3 percent of children and adolescents are eating from fast-food restaurants regularly, accounting for over ⅓ of American children.
