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On the day after Thanksgiving, a lot of Americans had no idea what to do with the Thanksgiving holiday.
Some went home, but others were forced to stay at home.
“It was just like a bad dream,” says Jillian Miller, who works in marketing for Kellogg’s, which makes Kelloggs Golden Crunch Lemonade.
“You’re on holiday, you’re not getting a break, and it’s not getting better.”
She says that, at first, she was surprised by the number of people who said they would miss the holidays.
But when she looked into the data, she noticed the same thing: Many people were still eating the same diet.
In fact, a third of people in her research group ate the same way in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, according to her results.
“I didn’t even know how much of the diet had changed, and that was pretty disconcerting,” Miller says.
“The most common response I got was, ‘Well, I’m still on that diet, I just don’t think I’ll be eating as much this year.'”
Miller’s research was published in the January issue of the journal Obesity, and she’s since received several follow-up surveys, which show similar patterns.
“People are saying, ‘I think I’m going to be more likely to stay home because I’m eating a diet that’s just not healthy,'” she says.
Miller’s experience shows how difficult it can be to change a diet without having to change your lifestyle.
For example, when people do lose weight and keep it off, they often lose some of the same food choices.
Miller found that a diet of only chicken wings was not enough to keep people from trying other options, such as steak and chicken, or swapping out other snacks.
So how can we avoid the same kinds of diet-related issues we’ve seen with other food choices?
First, Miller says, it’s important to be aware of how different foods are.
Some people can’t eat red meat, for example, while others can.
And if you do choose to avoid red meat or other foods, you can still eat as much fruit and vegetables as you want, or make a conscious effort to eat more healthy foods.
Second, people should take their nutrition recommendations seriously.
A lot of the advice from health care professionals and dietitians can be frustrating, Miller points out.
“What I love about the Kellogg team is they’re super smart about how to answer the questions we’re having, and we’re able to understand what’s actually working,” she says, adding that she’s encouraged by their willingness to learn.
“We’re really excited about this research, and the way that it’s getting us more data.
I’m really looking forward to continuing to get more of it out into the public domain.”