New research is showing that many Americans are taking steps in improving their diets by cutting the amount of calories that they take in in a day.
The United States Department of Agriculture took a survey of 10,000 working age adults, according to News Tonight Africa. Looking at this group of adults, between the years of 2005 and 2010 those studied reduced their calorie intake by 78 calories a day. The amount of calories taken in outside of the home decreased by 127 and they consumed 53 less calories a day from fast food restaurants.
They also found a decrease in the amount of saturated fat consumed, while their was an increase in the intake of fiber. The study also showed that more people were eating together and eating home cooked meals, according to USA Today.
It was also noticed that adults showed more interest in what was on the nutrition facts label.
The study's author, Jessica Todd, said that there were also improvements in the quality of food that was being prepared at home. Researchers also said that the recession was most likely the cause of this because people had more time to cook healthy, home cooked meals.
"It's definitely encouraging that this analysis finds calories are trending downward since that's exactly what we need to curb the epidemic of obesity," said Dawn Jackson Blatner, a registered dietitian. "It's also great news that family meals are on the rise."