Playing The Long Game: Why Progress On Food, Nutrition & Health Takes Persistence, Patience & Positivity

For the second time in fifteen years, the importance of good nutrition beginning in childhood is at the forefront of national politics. In 2010, Michelle Obama launched Let’s Move!, a campaign aimed at solving childhood obesity within a generation. Today, the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement takes up the mantle, focusing on decreasing diet-related chronic diseases in children, including obesity. What may feel like déjà vu is actually an important reminder: while the names and faces may change, nutrition remains a powerful and enduring public health priority. The benefits of consuming nutrient-dense diets are undeniable – longevity, greater productivity, improved quality of life, and lower healthcare costs, to name just a few. Simply put: eating well matters. Good nutrition must begin in childhood. And, Americans still have a long way to go before realizing the health and well-being benefits of greater diet quality. These are facts that most of us can agree on. Where consensus often falters is in how to empower and support Americans to eat healthier, so that they can be healthier. Discerning Disruption From Chaos What do we do if our efforts to increase diet quality in the U.S. have been unsuccessful? Some people are fans of disruption – I’m one of them. Disruption can be a powerful catalyst for change when rooted in science, data, and an understanding of human behavior. Others call for scrapping current approaches entirely. This approach can be less helpful as improving public health while also preserving public trust takes time and energy as well as some degree of consistency. In addition, changing long-standing habits and achieving measurable and meaningful gains at the population level often spans generations. Making America Healthier At IFIC, our north star is the consumer. If we can appreciate where Americans stand –perceptions, emotions, intentions, and behaviors […]

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Eating Seafood During Pregnancy: A Safe & Nutritious Choice

Seafood is one of the most nutrient-rich foods you can eat during pregnancy—yet most women eat less than one-quarter of the recommended amount each week. According to the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, those who are pregnant should choose seafood 2-3 times each week—which is about 8 to 12 ounces. This amount is not only safe for moms-to-be, but it also provides essential nutrients that support both maternal health and baby’s development.  Why Seafood Matters During Pregnancy  Seafood offers a unique bundle of nutrients that are difficult to match elsewhere in the diet. Some of these unique and crucial nutrients and benefits include:  Including seafood regularly ensures consistent access to these essential nutrients at a time when they matter most  Seafood Is Safe To Enjoy During Pregnancy  According to the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans, pregnant women need to eat at least 2-3 servings of seafood each week to meet nutrient needs. That means that most pregnant women in the U.S. should aim to quadruple the amount of seafood they currently eat.    The most popular types of seafood, such as crab, lobster, salmon and shrimp, in the US are safe to eat during pregnancy and when breastfeeding. The only species that need to be avoided during pregnancy are shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico, marlin, orange roughy and bigeye tuna (typically found in sushi). These species are not commonly eaten by most Americans.  How Much Seafood Should You Aim For?  The recommended amount of seafood for all Americans, including pregnant and breastfeeding women, is 2 to 3 seafood meals every week. This amount has been associated with positive developmental benefits for babies and improved outcomes for mothers.  Benefits For Baby Eating seafood regularly during pregnancy supports key growth periods, including brain development […]

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A Registered Dietitian’s Perspective On Dietary Guidance, Stress & Wellbeing: Principles, Priorities & Practice

Nutrition has moved far beyond the exam room and the classroom. Today, it shows up everywhere —on social media, in policy debates, at the grocery store, and at the dinner table. At the same time, many Americans are navigating unprecedented stress, rising food costs, challenging health priorities, and a steady stream of conflicting nutrition information. In this environment, dietary guidance is no longer just about what to eat; it is increasingly intertwined with overall wellness and competing priorities. In the final timed release of the 2025 IFIC Food & Health Survey: A Focus On Wellbeing & Body Weight, we turn our attention to wellbeing. While approximately half of Americans describe their health as excellent or very good, this share has steadily declined since 2012. At the same time, self-reported stress levels have escalated since 2022, with about two-thirds of respondents saying they have been very or somewhat stressed in the past six months. Financial concerns —both with the broader economy and personal finances —top the list of contributors of stress, followed by health and medical issues and politics. Against the backdrop of mounting health and financial pressure, January 2026 ushered in heightened public discourse around nutrition. As many Americans were recovering from holiday celebrations and resetting routines for the new year, the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) were released. And this edition marked a clear departure from previous iterations.   The DGA differed in several notable ways: From Plate To Pyramid: Implications For Consumer Understanding & Wellbeing Although the DGA were not historically developed to target consumers, 44% of respondents in the 2025 IFIC Food & Health Survey report knowing at least a fair amount about them. In contrast, MyPlate enjoys (or did enjoy) substantially higher recognition: 77% of Americans recognize the icon, and the proportion who say they […]

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IFIC Spotlight Survey: Americans’ Perceptions Of The Dietary Guidelines For Americans

The International Food Information Council (IFIC) commissioned an online survey among U.S. consumers to measure knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. One thousand eight adults ages 18 years and older completed the online survey from January 20-27, 2026, and were weighted to ensure proportional results. Key findings include: Suggested citation: International Food Information Council (IFIC). IFIC Spotlight Survey: Americans’ Perceptions of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. May 2026.

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Fad Diets with Alyssa Ardolino, RD [Podcast]

Fad diets are everywhere, and it seems like they’ve been around forever. Some come with a very strict list of what you can eat, and some are more lax. Some of them seem somewhat realistic, while others are unusual if not downright bizarre. So what exactly is a “fad diet”? Do any of them actually work? And can some do more harm than good? In this episode of DataDish: Your Trusted Serving of Science, we talked with Alyssa Ardolino, RD, coordinator for nutrition communications at the IFIC Foundation and an eating disorder dietitian at an outpatient center in Northern Virginia. Some highlights from the podcast include: Enjoy the podcast! Hopefully you’ll learn a more balanced way to eat instead of falling for the allure of fad diets.

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Fruit and Vegetable Consumption: A Casualty Of Fear-Mongering?

Building healthy eating patterns is core to reducing risk and managing diet-related chronic diseases. As such, supporting healthy food and beverage behaviors among Americans is a key public health tenet. While it is easy for us to encourage people to eat healthier, show them MyPlate, and give them tips for consuming each of the food groups in the recommended amounts, achieving healthy eating patterns is a much more complicated construct for individuals, families, and the population as a whole. Food is at the foundation of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and eating is fraught with emotion. Dietary behaviors are a product of what the person choosing and consuming the food perceives and feels (consciously and subconsciously), and it can be very difficult to change eating habits that have been established over time. Sadly, a staggering number of Americans underconsume fruits and vegetables. Specifically, 90% do not eat recommended amounts of vegetables and 80% do not consume enough fruit – and this deficit has been pervasive across population groups and persistent over time. With consumers being exposed to recently published lists that propogate misinformation about pesticide use in fruit and vegetable production, we were compelled to understand current knowledge and perceptions of pesticide use and how these may affect produce consumption in our most recent IFIC Spotlight Survey. Pesticide Misunderstanding Jeopardizes Fruit & Vegetable Consumption Habits I invite everyone to read our latest IFIC Spotlight Survey: Public Perceptions of Pesticides & Produce Consumption report and to independently and critically think through the consequences of sensational messaging related to pesticides on diet quality – particularly fruit and vegetable intake. Here is my take on the data: The majority of Americans consider how food is grown when making food and beverage decisions. Food safety and pesticide use are top concerns. For those concerned about pesticide use, nearly […]

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Healthy Mother, Healthy Baby: Prenatal Nutrition 101

There may never be another time in your life where you receive a doctor’s order to consume 300 more calories per day! Your baby-to-be needs those extra calories. While pregnant, eating a healthy diet is crucial to making sure your baby is getting all the essential nutrients to develop properly. Before we get started, keep in mind that weight gain is a normal part of pregnancy. Not everyone will gain the same amount and that’s ok. Gaining the same amount of weight is not recommended for everyone—it depends on your starting BMI. Here’s a link to the Institute of Medicine’s guidelines. What does a healthy diet look like for a pregnant woman? Pregnancy is special time in life, so it makes sense that you have special nutritional needs. Here are a few tips to help deliver a healthful diet while pregnant: 1. Make half your plate fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables remain an important source of vitamins and minerals during pregnancy. 2. Make at least half of your grains whole. Whole grains offer key vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Enriched grains should be included in your diet, too. These grains have been fortified with B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folate) and iron, all of which are important for healthy growth and development. So important, in fact, that in 1998, the United States FDA required folic acid be added to enriched flour to reduce the risk of neural tube birth defects. 3. Choose fat-free or low-fat dairy. For example, try switching to skim or 1% milk. This can help reduce your saturated fat intake. Milk products (e.g., milk, yogurt, cheese and fortified soy beverages) can be an excellent source of vitamin D and calcium necessary for your baby’s bone growth. 4. Make sure to get enough protein. Protein’s main roles are […]

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An Open Letter to Internet Dieters

Dear Chronic Internet Dieter, They say the first step is admitting you have a problem. We get it. Google is the answer for (almost) everything. Guides for child-proofing your living room, what movie that guy was in, and even scripted break-up speeches. But when it comes to diet and food advice, the Google method is killing us. Watch out for: Not going to Google for diet advice probably makes it feel like all is lost (as though you’ve left your cell phone at home—quelle horror!) But it isn’t. Thankfully, there are legit steps you can take to improve your weight and health status. Eat more fruits and veggies, up your protein and fiber intake (since they make you feel more satisfied), and be mindful of your portion sizes. Look to sources like MyPlate, EatRight.org, and (my home!) FoodInsight.org to find food information from professionals that aren’t just of-the-moment fads. Weight-loss quick-fixes won’t go away—just take it from these experts who wish they would—but they can be outsmarted. Go forth and conquer, former Internet dieters! You’re better than the fads. Yours in health and sanity, Liz

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