The Feasibility Factor: A Missing Link To Improving Diet Quality  

Getting people to eat healthier takes more than good science. It requires aligning what experts recommend, what consumers actually believe matters, and what people can feasibly sustain in their daily lives. Those themes were front and center in our newest IFIC Spotlight Survey: Americans Perceptions Of The Newest Dietary Guidelines.  

Because wholesale dietary pattern overhaul has proven persistently elusive, public health discussions often focus on prioritization: which dietary changes are likely to have the greatest public health impact? Yet this is only part of the equation, as meaningful change only happens when individuals feel the behavior as being both achievable and worthwhile.    

Our latest Spotlight Survey provides a window into the consumer psyche on this very topic. By far, the dietary change consumers identified as most impactful to their health was eating more fruits and vegetables (27%), followed by eating less highly processed food (16%) and added sugars (12%). Other choices included eating more “real food”, protein, fiber, whole grains and dairy as well as less sodium and saturated fat.  

The most thought-provoking findings, however, were related to how easy or difficult the behavior they selected would be to do. Many of the dietary guidance behaviors that consumers expressed were easiest to implement, were also the very changes dietary intake data suggest Americans struggle with the most – eating more fruits and vegetables, dairy, and whole grains, and fiber. In short, awareness does not necessarily translate into action.  

A deeper dive into the data reveals that consumers appear more receptive to positivity than prohibition. Additive behaviors were consistently perceived as easier to implement than messages centered on limiting certain nutrients or avoiding ill-defined, broad categories such as “highly processed foods.” Interestingly, “eat more real food” was the lowest-performing additive behavior yet it still outperformed “eat less highly processed foods” (only a modest margin). Together, these findings suggest consumers may struggle with broad, abstract food messaging compared to more concrete, food-specific guidance.  

This is a consequential moment for food and nutrition – we have more scientific knowledge than ever before and, for only the second time in recent history, nutrition has become a central priority at the highest levels of government. Perhaps most notably, good nutrition has emerged as a bipartisan value. 

As part of this IFIC Spotlight Survey, we also tested awareness and knowledge of both MyPlate and the New Pyramid. Consistent with findings from the IFIC Food & Health Survey, 77% of respondents said they have seen MyPlate and more than half (54%) said they knew at least a fair amount about it. Remarkably, despite being fielded just weeks after the release of the New Pyramid, 47% of Americans said they had already seen it.  

What consumers take away from these food guides is just as important as whether they recognize them. When asked what MyPlate communicates, more than half the respondents said balance, variety, and moderation, while just over one third identified the message to make half your plate fruits and vegetables.  Key takeaways from the New Pyramid were to eat more foods at the top and less of those at the bottom (36%) and to eat fruits and vegetables throughout the day (31%).  

Dietary patterns are not created on a national scale, but rather shaped at the household and community levels. While new calls emerge to incorporate nutrition more fully into medical education, we are reminded that registered dietitians/nutritionists (RDNs) are the credentialed nutrition professionals best equipped – and most trusted – to translate evolving nutrition science into practical, sustainable dietary guidance and support. 

Awareness alone cannot be the destination. RDNs understand that improving diet quality is not only about identifying the “best” dietary changes from a scientific perspective but also helping individuals and families implement those changes in ways that are feasible, meaningful, and sustainable over time.