Giving Compass' Take:

• Stanford Social Innovation Review reports on new strategies when it comes to healthy eating research, citing that policy, systems, and environmental change all factor in. 

• How can donors help lower-income communities receive proper nutrition and education on healthy eating? 

• Learn more about healthy eating and active living through an equity lens. 

The most recent national data available on US rates of obesity and diet illustrate that Americans are still not consuming enough fruits, vegetables, dairy, and whole grains, but are eating too many added sugars, saturated fats, and sodium, mostly in the form of sweetened beverages, desserts, and snacks.1 Relatedly, the United States continues to face significant public health problems, with large geographic-, income-, race-, and ethnicity-based disparities in diet quality, overweight and obesity rates, and chronic health conditions.

Policies, systems, and environments are significant determinants of children’s dietary intake, weight, and health. Policy, Systems, and Environmental Change (PSE) strategies go beyond education and information programming to embed changes in a community, and they are designed to be more sustainable and reach a larger number of people than programming alone. PSE changes aim to create communities where healthy choices are easy, safe, practical, and affordable for all.

Read the full article about the future of healthy eating research by Megan Lott & Mary Story at Stanford Social Innovation Review.