Attitude towards apparently healthy alternatives.

Cognitive Component

Identify multiple beliefs

What is considered as healthy?

Reasons behind these beliefs?

Challenges to healthy food choices can include food insecurity which is an

inability, either because of money or availability, to get safe, nutritional food. Other
challenges can include such things as time and cost. In addition, knowledge or the lack
of knowledge concerning healthy food choices is a challenge within itself.
Nutritional habits of young adults are inconsistent with the Dietary Guidelines for
Americans for several reasons (King, Mohl, Bernard, & Vidourek, 2007). Nutrition
related issues for young adults include high intake of fast foods, high in fats, and low
intake of fruits, vegetables, fiber, and dairy foods. Additionally, they often practice
erratic eating behaviors, such as skipping meals. A 22-item survey completed by 204
university students revealed that challenges contributing to their poor nutritional habits
included lack of nutrition knowledge, taste, cost, time, and convenience. King et al.,
(2007) concluded that strategies other than physical activity promotion are needed to
impact student’s healthy eating behaviors.
A widely held view is that food, in particular fruits and vegetables, is expensive.
Besides being cheaper, unhealthy food or convenience foods are tastier, easier to obtain,
and easier to prepare than healthy food (Waterlander, de Mul, Schuit, Seidell, &
Steenhuis, 2010)