New research reveals a startling fact about nutrition and health: while most Americans think they understand nutrition basics, the vast majority don’t know the nutritional value of the food they eat daily. This disconnect between perceived and actual knowledge could be one of the biggest hurdles to improving public health.
The Knowledge Gap
A recent study found that 81 percent of Americans believe they understand basic nutrition principles well. However, the reality tells a very different story—a whopping 91 percent don’t know how much protein, fiber, carbohydrates, sugar, and salt they consume daily.
“This knowledge gap isn’t just about numbers on food labels,” explains Andrea J. Lattanzi, President of Innate Wellness. “It’s about giving people the right information that directly affects how healthy they are and how long they live. Without understanding nutrition basics, making healthy choices becomes really hard.”
Many people rely on outdated or misleading nutrition information they learned years ago. Food marketing often makes this problem worse by using confusing claims like “all-natural” or “low-fat” that sound healthy but don’t tell the whole story.
How Poor Nutrition Affects Our Health
When we don’t eat well, it can lead to several health problems that often occur together, including:
- High blood pressure
- High blood sugar
- Too much fat around the waist
- Unhealthy cholesterol levels
These conditions make us much more likely to develop heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Together, these conditions form what doctors call metabolic syndrome, which affects nearly one in three American adults.
Research shows that changing what we eat can prevent these conditions, make them less severe, and sometimes even reverse them. The problem is that many Americans don’t know enough about nutrition to make these changes work.
“Metabolic health in America keeps getting worse not because people don’t care about their health, but because they’re making choices based on wrong or incomplete information,” Lattanzi says. “Many people really try to eat well but end up making choices that cause inflammation and other problems that can lead to serious disease.”
Getting Help That Fits Your Needs
Innate Wellness offers a program called “Eat Right, Feel Great!” that teaches nutrition in a way that recognizes everyone’s health journey is different. The program consists of nine video sessions presented by nutritionist and certified health coach, Jackie Furlong. In addition to her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Minnesota, Jackie has studied numerous nutrition programs, becoming certified with First Line Therapy, the American Fitness Professionals Association as a Nutrition & Wellness Counselor, and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition as a Holistic Health Coach.
Holistic health practitioners and nutrition coaches see this problem daily. Clients are truly surprised to learn that their ‘healthy’ breakfast of fruit juice and a low-fat muffin contains more sugar than a candy bar. Once people understand the basics, they feel empowered to make better choices.
Education must go beyond simply telling people to “eat less and move more.” People need practical tools to understand food labels, plan balanced meals, and see through misleading marketing.
Good nutrition education shows people how to make healthy eating a part of their real lives. It’s not about perfect eating—it’s about making better choices most of the time.
“We strongly believe there’s no single answer that works for everyone when it comes to good nutrition,” says Lattanzi. “Each person has different needs based on lifestyle, health history, and goals. Our program teaches clients about their specific nutrition needs while giving them practical tools, like the Food Health Score, to make lasting changes to their diet.” This simple tool makes healthy eating more manageable in daily life.
“When people understand why certain foods help or harm their health, they make better choices naturally,” Lattanzi explains. “Knowledge really is power when it comes to nutrition.”
Small changes based on accurate information can lead to big improvements in health. Innate Wellness offers a sneak peek at the first two parts of its “Eat Right, Feel Great!” program for free during National Nutrition Month. These modules cover an introduction to Jackie Furlong and the program she designed to help people achieve thriving health and Nutrition 101—the basics of nutrition. This module empowers you with accurate data in your journey to excellent health, and you can recognize all the false data regarding nutrition.
