Is America Eating Healthier?

Americans are eager to try out the latest diet fads that will help them "lose weight fast!" Examples include: Atkins diet, South Beach Diet, and Dexitrim (which was basically speed retrofitted as a diet aid).

However, research and common sense seem to point to a healthier approach towards getting slim.

• Step 1: Eat smaller portions,
• Step 2: Eat healthier food (less sugary and low-density cholesterol foods), and
  
• Step 3: Exercise.

Yes, as those working on their New Year's Resolutions know, the above steps are not as pain-free as jumping on the next "miracle weight-loss" solution. Yet there are some recent trends that show some glimmers of hope that Americans may be embracing the healthy diet recommendations. The following examples are more anecdotal rather than quantitative, so readers can further study if these examples are more exceptions, or truly representative of a sea-change in behavior.

1) "Super-Size Me" by Morgan Spurlock

Sensation account of the impact of a Big Mac diet. The imagery from this documentary leads McDonald's to withdraw their "Super Size" option. Surprisingly, no one seems to care when this popular option disappears.

2) "Jared" by Subway

Around 2000, Subway introduced Jared to the world. Based on his amazing weight loss story (425 pounds to 240 pounds), Subway is able to take market share from its burger fast-food competitors.

3) Whole Foods by Whole Foods

The sales growth of Whole Foods represents the growing popularity of the "local, organic" movement. Popularized by star chefs such as Alice Waters, the local, organic movement encourages people to use foods that are non-processed, locally and organically grown to promote healthier living. The movement claims that eating organic, local, and whole foods helps to reduce pesticide intake, while providing the full-nutritional value of the food products (often lost in food processing steps).

4) Trans Fat Ban by Tiberon

New York City and California have banned the use of trans-fat. As a result, snack food companies and restaurants who operated in those areas have had to re-engineer the way they cook and bake some of their products. Trans-fat has been linked to heart disease. Despite the switch from trans-fat, consumers have not noticed much difference.

5) Restaurant Nutritional Labeling by New York City (Is this working?)

Now that New York City and California are requiring restaurants to label the calorie, nutritional and ingredients of their products, research is being conducted to see if the desired result is happening. The answer is unclear at this point. A Stanford University study of Starbucks purchases show that Starbucks customers are cutting back on the snacks, but not on the high-calorie java drinks. As additional research is conducted on menu labeling, the results will most likely determine if restaurant labeling will be introduced in other cities, states or nationally.

6) Coca-Cola Taxes and Petite Size by New York City

Coca-Cola is under siege. The sugary beverage provider is in danger of being cast as the new villain in America's battle for better public health. Coke is introducing a smaller can - a 7.5 oz, 90 calorie option. Whether Americans will embrace this smaller size can is unclear. Also, if the sugary beverage tax is passed, will consumers opt for healthier choices?


Summary:
The combination of research, marketing, and regulatory efforts are being mobilized to battle the chronic childhood obesity and resulting health issues (diabeties in particular). The impact of this battle is challenging for restaurants. Customers are still wanting a great value (good size portion), that taste good (sugar, salt, and fat), while also requiring a low calorie, healthy meal. How can a restaurant deliver on these requirements?

Restaurants can use healthy ingredients, cut down on some of the less healthy cooking methods (less salt, oil and sugar). The economics of switching to healthier ingredients may be a problem as healthier ingredients can be very expensive. Managing portion sizes against customer expectations will be equally challenging.

The more progressive restaurants will be in the forefront of experimentation with addressing the health concerns while still being able to retain their loyal customers. As is normal in the restaurant industry, the ever-changing American consumer, coupled with the new health-oriented legislation will provide some new challenges to restaurant operators. These challenges are universal. Out of this additional work and new consumer tastes, there will be opportunities for restaurant operators who come up with the right formula.