Executive Summary

Even though diet books continue to soar to best-seller lists, the tide may be turning. Weighing in on the American Diet found that dieting is at an all-time low and “feeling healthier” but that for those beginning a diet, “feeling healthier” is the primary motivator.  Instead of extreme lifestyle changes that cannot be maintained, more Americans seem to be looking for reasonable strategies that help them achieve and maintain a healthy weight. One such sustainable change is including milk in the diet because studies suggest that drinking 3 glasses of lowfat or fat free milk a day can help maintain a healthy weight.  This new study looked at the who, what, how and why of dieting in this country – providing one of the most comprehensive snapshots of the weight management practices in America.

• Dieting today is beginning to shift from just weight management to total health management.  It’s more about achieving good health than simply the number on the scale.
  • Instead of dieting strictly to lose weight, most people said they’re on a diet for their weight and their health.
  • Health appears to be the primary motivator:  68% of people were on a diet “to feel healthier.”
• Dieting is on a decline. The percentage of adults who said they are on a diet has steadily gone down over the past decade.
• 29% of women were currently on a diet (compared to 36% 10 years ago)
• 19% of men were currently on a diet (compared to 23% 10 years ago)
• The most popular diet today is one that people call their own.  Fewer people were attempting “extreme” diets, such as modified fasts, severe calorie restrictions and the elimination of entire food groups.
  • 34% of dieters chose “my own” diet
  • 9% of dieters followed “extreme” diets
• People appear to be taking a new and different approach because they’ve not been satisfied with past diet attempts and they understood the importance of being at a healthy weight.
  • The top complaints about previous diets:  “disappointed,” “tend to feel deprived” and “not a good way to maintain overall health in the long term.”
• The concept of “healthy weight” is resonating with America. Most people associated healthy weight with feeling good and feeling healthier, rather than fitting within a small range of ideal weight. Americans said a healthy weight was when they:
  • Physically feel good (62%)
  • Feel healthier (45%)
  • Can be active (39%)
  • Feel better about myself (38%)
  • Stay within a small range of ideal weight (27%)
• Some dieters made a conscious effort to drink milk, and they drank more lowfat and fat free milk compared to people who say they’re not on a diet.  The milk-drinking dieters praised milk for the following reasons:
  • Keeps my bones strong (76%)
  • Easy, convenient source of nutrients, such as protein (49%)
  • Helps me feel satisfied (40%)
  • Helps make my diet more nutritionally balanced (32%)
• Even so, dieters were more likely to fill their glasses and cups with coffee, soft drinks, teas and juices instead of milk.  Milk was the fifth most frequently consumed beverage – only 14% of all beverage occasions included milk.
• Dieters who made drinking lowfat or fat free milk a daily habit were more likely to be at a healthy weight and have better quality diets, richer in essential nutrients, compared to those who didn't.
  • Milk-drinking dieters were more likely to be at a healthy weight (falling within a healthy BMI [body mass index] range).
  • Dieters who drank milk had better quality diets, richer in essential nutrients.
  • Plus, milk-drinking dieters were less likely to say they felt deprived compared to other dieters.