SPOTLIGHT ON DIET

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The Sightlines project revealed that, surprisingly, only about 1 in 4 Americans eat at least five fruits and vegetables each day. This finding is relatively stable over time (from 2005 to 2009) and across various subgroups of the American population.

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FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

CHRISTOPHER GARDNER
Professor of Medicine
Director of Nutrition Studies at Stanford Prevention Research Center

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Professor Gardner’s research is focused on investigating the potential health benefits of various dietary components or food patterns, which have been explored in the context of randomized controlled trials in free-living adult populations. Bio
“Americans, perhaps more than almost any other culture, have lost their basic food literacy, and this makes it difficult for them to wade through the swamp of food and nutrition claims that they are barraged with, and that leads them to make convenient, inexpensive, and attractive looking choices that are poor nutritional choices.”

To connect with our faculty affiliates, please contact SCL program manager, Nikki Tran ([email protected])

EXPLORE THE DATA

PERCENTAGE OF AMERICANS WHO EAT 5+ SERVINGS OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLES PER DAY

SEE MORE SIGHTLINES FINDINGS

MOBILITY DIRECTOR’S POST

THE TROUBLE WITH RECOMMENDING A HEALTHY DIET

When the Sightlines project team began defining parameters for the Healthy Living section, it was immediately obvious that nutrition would be one of the categories. There is nothing more universal than eating – it affects us physically, emotionally, and culturally. Nutrition also has perhaps the longest history of study of any health factor. It likely originated with lists of foods that would not (or would) kill you. Hippocrates, generally considered the father of modern medicine, famously said “let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” around 400 B.C. So why are we still struggling to give useful advice on diet almost 2500 years later?…Read more

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KEN SMITH
DIRECTOR OF THE MOBILITY DIVISION

COMMENTARY

HEALTHY EATING IN AMERICA: A QUESTION OF STATUS?

Since the rise of the obesity epidemic in 1990s, policy makers, news media, scientists, and educators have been puzzling out how to make Americans healthier. One theme that has emerged over and over is status: higher-status Americans seem to be doing just fine, whereas low-status Americans are suffering…Read more

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SASHA JOHNSON-FREYD
SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH PROFESSIONAL

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