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American Heart Association News: 5 Barriers to Eating a Heart-Healthy Diet That Have Nothing to Do With Willpower

FRIDAY, March 25, 2022 (American Heart Association News) — The major ingredients of a heart- and brain-healthy diet are fairly well-established: fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, fish and low-fat dairy. Research shows people who stick to this eating pattern are less likely to get sick and more likely to live longer free of chronic disease.

So why isn’t everyone eating this way?

Making lifestyle changes can be difficult, even when we know we should. But often, it’s not just about willpower. Research shows a slate of intertwined barriers, some obvious and some more under the surface, that can severely impact access to healthy choices and contribute to health disparities . . .

They are “part of a really big picture related to our food environment,” said Penny Kris-Etherton, a professor of nutritional sciences at the Pennsylvania State University College of Health and Human

In a scientific statement last year giving dietary guidance for cardiovascular health, the American Heart Association outlined five issues that make it harder to adhere to healthy eating patterns: targeted food marketing, structural racism, neighborhood segregation, unhealthy built environments and food insecurity, also known as nutrition insecurity

. . . racial disparities in marketing disproportionately expose Black, Indigenous, Hispanic and other historically disenfranchised communities to low-quality foods and drinks, she said . . .