The Backlash Against `Nutrition Hype'; Some People Just Don't Want to Be Bothered
If you're concerned about nutrition, you can stop reading. This column is about the "don't bother me's," the food fatalists, the cocky unconverted. The holiday season can turn any nutritional goody goody into a temporary glutton, but the numbers of consumers who don't care about what they eat the entire year is surprisingly large and possibly growing.</br></br>In fact, while interest in nutrition is still high, some pollsters see a leveling off, if not a slight decline, in the public's concern.</br></br>At the very least, there's still a sizable percentage of the population that isn't getting the nutrition message and doesn't want to be bothered by it, either.</br></br>An American Dietetic Association survey found that more than a third of respondents don't consider nutrition important and aren't interested in changing their eating habits. An additional 38 percent said they "know they should" but admit they aren't doing everything they could to maintain a healthful eating pattern. Only 26 percent said they consider diet and nutrition very important.</br></br>There's a whole group of people who won't change their eating habits to improve the quality of their lives until they're threatened with a health crisis, said Judy Dodd, president-elect of the ADA.