So many studies, so much confusion.
For years the food and beverage industry has been under scrutiny for various ingredients in products. There isn't a week that goes by when we don't see another research study with another finding that seems to contradict the last study.
The latest research study posted in the GMA Smartbrief concludes that sugar can help children stay focused. This comes at a time when food and beverage companies are actively reducing sugar levels or developing new products with low calorie sweeteners. If you walk down the juice aisle in your local grocery store you'll notice almost every brand has a reduced sugar version of the original products.
Consumers now have a variety of healthy options across many categories, but are these choices really changing behavior? They may be consuming "better for you" products; however, their overall health and wellness routines are likely not changing much. For example, Diet Coke, salad, and water are healthier than the alternatives...
"Woke up at 8, started laundry. The little boy I babysit brought donuts. So oops there goes my diet. I had 2 glazed. Ate them while watching tv with the kids. Than had to rush to get ready for church. After church I had a diet coke on our way to register my son for the ice hockey team he made. Than we rushed to meet some friends at my sons roller hockey. After roller we went with some friends to Sizzler. It was a late lunch. About 3. I had a salad bar. Which means to much food. I had a really good salad, lettuce, red onions, kidney beans, garbonzo beans, hard boil eggs, diced ham, cheese, and to much blue cheese dressing. And thennnnnnnnnnnnnn I had 2 pcs of chicken wings, little corn nuggets, and a taco. YIKES Im still full and its 11 at night. I drank water. And I had a small ice cream cone on the way out."
The little changes people make to be healthy do add up; however, a clearer understanding of everyday routines will allow companies to see the trade-offs people make as they manage their daily lives. This will allow organizations to allocate internal resources to health and wellness efforts in situations that make a real difference.
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