Many medical experts and government organizations agree - eating a diet low in fat is healthy for most people. But are American consumers heeding the experts' advice?

Researchers from Texas A&M University surveyed almost 5,700 adults about their dietary habits, such as whether they regularly ate low-fat or fat-free foods, whether they ate fruit as dessert and whether they followed low-fat dietary guidelines. In addition on two occasions, study participants were asked to recall what they ate over a 24-hour period.

The most common healthy behaviors - adopted by more than 45% of the study participants - included trimming visible fat from meat, removing skin from chicken and eating potato chips only rarely. Less than 15% of adults regularly tried low-fat tactics such as eating bread or potatoes without butter, eating low-fat cheese instead of the full-fat version and having fruit as dessert. Almost 30% of the people in the study only drank whole milk, instead of substituting with low-fat or skim milk. In addition, women were more likely to avoid red meats and high-fat sauces and salad dressings and to choose lower-fat dairy products, when compared to male study participants.

Related information: Weight Management Center | Fat | Cholesterol

Sources:  Capps O Jr, Cleveland L, Park J. Dietary behaviors associated with total fat and saturated fat intake. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 2002 Apr;102(4):490-502, 612.