How diet, exercise and emotion shape food choices

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Budget and time constraints as well as health status and ingrained habits can impede healthy eating, according to International Food Information Council President and CEO Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak.

“And that does not even consider food availability and accessibility,” she says.

The IFIC Spotlight Survey: Americans’ Perceptions & Priorities on Healthy Eating dives into how Americans prioritize and perceive healthy eating.

“To address the question of how to make America healthier, we must first understand consumers’ current perceptions and their priorities. This research is an important first step,” she says. 

International Food Information Council research findings on healthy eating

Diet and exercise are Americans’ health MVPs: More than half of Americans named exercise (59%) and a balanced diet (58%) among the top three actions a person can take to be healthy, with 22% selecting each as the number one priority. Notably, men lean more toward exercise (28% vs. 17% of women), while women prioritize a balanced diet (26% vs. 17% of men).

Many Americans lack dietary mindfulness: While most Americans prioritize the importance of healthy eating, only 12% do so every time they eat or drink. In contrast, 1 in 4 Americans admit they do not think about how healthy their diet is very often, revealing a knowledge-action gap when it comes to Americans’ healthy eating behaviors.

Americans prioritize more time to plan, prepare, cook meals and snacks: Overwhelmingly, survey respondents said that spending more time preparing and cooking meals and snacks (41%) or more time planning meals and snacks (40%) play bigger roles in maintaining a healthy diet than spending more time grocery shopping (10%) or more money on foods and beverages (8%), highlighting the value of practical lifestyle adjustments.

Food is fuel, flavor and feelings: Americans see food as much more than nutrition. Sixty-two percent view food as “fuel,” 60% as “delicious” and 56% as “health,” while emotional connections run deep — with 37% calling food “love” and 32% saying it brings “joy.” Still, nearly three-quarters of Americans agree that “food is medicine,” reinforcing the idea that plates can be as much about wellbeing as they are about taste and flavor.

Next steps

“The conversations about healthy eating and what it means to prioritize health are only ramping up. As these discussions continue to grow, it is important to recognize that food is more than just nutrients,” Reinhardt Kapsak says. “Americans engage with food on emotional and cultural levels, highlighting the need for clear, relatable and actionable communication. By aligning evidence-based nutrition guidance with people’s food priorities and perspectives, we can make dietary advice more accessible, trustworthy and impactful — ultimately fostering lasting behavior changes that support both health and a positive relationship with food.”