Constraints to healthy eating among young adults
     Cross-sectional survey
           College students aged 17-24+ 
              years
           Twin Cities Metro, Minneapolis 
     Key Findings
           Time related to work, school, 
              and family responsibilities 
              primary constraint → 57.9%
           Would eat healthier if less busy 
                                                                                    
              → 44.9%                                                                   Intervention focused on:
           Can find time to plan and                                                  Time management strategies
              prepare healthy meals             →                                      Achieving a healthy diet on a budget
              57.6%
  Source: Pelletier, J. E., & Laska, M. N. (2012). Balancing Healthy Meals and Busy Lives: Associations between Work, School, and Family Responsibilities and Perceived Time Constraints among Young Adults.         2
  Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 44(6), 481-489
       Factors influencing healthy choices
               1
                              Taste.
                   2
                                  Time
                        3
                                    Total Cost
                                                                     3
       It’s not all grilled chicken, brown rice, and broccoli
                                           1
    Myth vs. Fact:
    To eat healthy I have to eat bland foods with          Taste.
      minimal choice and variation
   
    “Healthy eating” is not the elimination or inclusion 
    of specific food groups only, rather balance of macro and micronutrients from real food sources 
   
    Eating out can be healthy by making informed choices
  Tips Eating In:
   
    Reduce butter and sugar by 1/3 to 1/2 from recipes
   
    Use lower saturated fat options for salad dressings, dips, sauces (e.g., substitute Greek yogurt for mayo or sour 
    cream)
   
    Season with basic spices → Italian seasoning, oregano, garlic, pepper, sea salt
  Tips Eating Out: 
   
    Combo with a salad instead of fries; choose water or unsweetened tea instead of soda
   
    Double the veggies and skip the extra starch
   
    Share appetizers or dessert; take half of your meal home for tomorrow’s lunch
                                                                          4
                  Eating healthy takes too much time
     Myth vs. Fact:                                                                                                 2
                                                                                                                                                                Time
              To eat healthy I have to know how to cook and 
              spend hours doing it every week
          According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2017 
                                                                                                                          
             results, men and women spend 5.5 and 5 hours,                                                                   Tips:
             respectively, daily watching TV                                                                                Take 1-2 hours each week and prepare 
          Meal planning and prepping can be efficient and done                                                                  meals for the whole week 
             using basic skills                                                                                             Make large batches and freeze for up 
                                                                                                                                 to 6 months
                                                                                                                            Multi-task while prepping listening to a 
                                                                                                                                 podcast streaming Netflix
                                                                                                                            Make it a family activity involving the 
        The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to                                                             kids
           schedule your priorities.                                                ~Stephen Covey                          Buy pre-cut vegetables
  Source: American Time Use Survey Summary. (2018, June 28). Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/news.release/atus.nr0.htm                                                                                5
                    Eating healthy busts the budget
                                                                                                                                 3
           Myth vs. Fact:                                                                                                                                                Total Cost
            Average meal at USC cost → $10-15
            Combo meal at a fast food restaurant → $4-7
            Meals prepared at home → $4-7                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                               Tips:
                 Minus the excess calories, saturated fat, and sodium                                                                        Buy in bulk and store in smaller 
                     which can be 1.5 to 2 times higher eating out                                                                                 containers 
        Taco Chili Salad                                Wendy’s                          Homemade                                                      Grains, nuts
                                                                                                                                              Eat seasonally and buy local
        Calories                                   620                               392                                                               Imperfect Produce affordable, fresh 
                                                                                                                                                            produce
        Fat (g)                                    28                                15
        Saturated fat (g)                          10                                4
        Sodium (mg)                                1,760                             388
  Sources: Hearst, M., Harnack, L., Bauer, K., Earnest, A., French, S., & Michael Oakes, J. (2013). Nutritional quality at eight U.S. fast-food chains: 14-year trends. American Journal of Preventive Medicine,              6
  44(6), 589–594. & https://menu.wendys.com/en_US/product/taco-salad/