Information Overload-Consumers Seek Easy Ways To Understand Nutrition Information

Low fat, trans fat, no fat; the health benefits (or not) of chocolate, milk, nuts, coffee, etc.-all of this conflicting information is leaving Americans confused and mystified about how to take care of themselves. With the abundance of health and nutrition information in the news every day, it is no wonder that Americans are suffering from health information overload.

In fact, according to The Healthy Boomer Survey of 1,086 baby boomers conducted on behalf of www.eatbetteramerica.com, more than one-half are frustrated and confused by conflicting health and nutritional information available today. Although boomers are actively searching for simple ways to stay healthy, half of all boomers surveyed find it difficult to stay current on all the new health and nutritional information. Additionally, more than four out of 10 boomers are overwhelmed by all of the inconsistent health reports and they feel that they hear too much data about health and nutrition that is not relevant to them.

Americans look for simple, easy ways to answer their questions. Currently, three-fourths of boomers receive most of their trusted health and nutritional information from doctors and nutritionists. Following closely as a trusted source are health-related Web sites; however, boomers revealed that they actually utilize these sites only about a quarter of the time when searching for information. The reason may be that most of the information on current sites is boring, confusing and just plain difficult to follow.

A new, innovative Web site called eatbetteramerica.com was created specifically with baby boomers in mind. The site acts as a trusted resource center to provide useful, educational and engaging food and nutrition information to lead a healthy life. The site allows you to set personal goals and provides recipes and suggestions to help you maintain and follow a successful path. The site also provides a community of support and offers simple changes to improve your health and lets you know that you are not in this alone.

"With the plethora of information overwhelming Americans, we saw the opportunity to create a simple, straightforward Web site that makes eating better, easier and more fun," said Jeff Fuller, Health and Wellness Center of Excellence, General Mills. "We feel that eatbetteramerica.com answers this need by creating a place where people can learn from experts, as well as from others like themselves, how healthy eating habits and easy-to-follow exercises can lead to a better life."

10 Small Steps To Improve Your Health

Many of us make health-related resolutions, such as to lose weight, stop smoking or join the neighborhood health club. While it is common to set high goals, experts say that setting smaller goals could do more for our health.

"Small steps are achievable and are easier to fit into your daily routine," says James O. Hill, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. "They are less overwhelming than a big, sudden change."

Here are 10 to try:

1. Stop gaining weight. Even if you gain just a pound or two every year, the extra weight adds up quickly.

2. Take more small steps. Use a pedometer to count your daily steps; then add 2,000, the equivalent of one extra mile. Keep adding steps, 1,000 to 2,000 each month or so, until you take 10,000 steps on most days.

3. Eat breakfast. Breakfast eaters tend to weigh less and have better diets overall. For a filling and nutrition-packed breakfast, top Whole Grain Total?with fresh fruit slices and low-fat or fat-free milk.

4. Switch three grain servings each day to whole grain. If you're like the average American, you eat less than one whole grain serving a day.

5. Have at least one green salad every day. Eating a salad (with low-fat or fat-free dressing) is filling and may help you eat less during the meal. It also counts toward your five daily cups of vegetables and fruits.

6. Trim the fat. Fat has a lot of calories, and calories count. Purchase lean meats, eat poultry without the skin, switch to lower-fat cheeses, use a nonstick pan with only a dab of oil or butter.

7. Consider calcium by including two or three daily servings of low-fat or fat-free milk or yogurt. Dairy calcium is good for bones and may also help you lose weight.

8. Downsize. The smaller the bag, bottle or bowl, the less you will eat.

9. Lose just 5 to 10 percent of your current weight. The health benefits are huge-lower blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and triglycerides.

10. Keep track of your eating. Write down what you eat over the next couple of days and look for problem spots. Often, just writing things down can help you eat less.