Today is The Great American Eat Right Challenge!

American Cancer Society Press Release
Published: August 21, 2008

The American Cancer Society has designated Thursday, August 21st, as the Great American Eat Right Challenge Day.  The organization is encouraging all Americans to focus on what role diet plays in their cancer risk.

To help Americans eat healthier, the American Cancer Society is offering several on-line tools on the Great American Eat Right Challenge web site, www.cancer.org/greatamericans. 

These tools include:

• A video podcast hosted by Food Network Chef Ellie Krieger, which shares tips on how to prepare quick and healthy meals in little time

• ‘Healthy in a Hurry’ Parent’s Guide – With school back in session, parents once again will be faced with less time to prepare healthy meals for the family. This online tool provides 30-minute recipes for parents who don’t have much time to cook but want to make healthy, delicious meals or snacks.

• Portion Control Guide – Knowing how much to eat is just as important as knowing what to eat. This wallet-sized portion guide can be easily downloaded and carried anywhere to help recognize standard serving sizes.

• Eat Right Food Diary – Knowing what you eat each day can help identify patterns of unhealthy behaviors. This printable diary is an easy-to-use tool for people to capture what they eat every day and flag what fuels situations or periods of time when unhealthy eating occurs.

• A healthy grocery shopping list guide to help stock your kitchen.

New survey findings from the American Cancer Society show that while the majority of Americans understand that eating right and being physically active can help reduce their risk of getting cancer, many are not incorporating this knowledge into their daily lives. According to the survey, 83 percent of Americans believe they can reduce their risk of cancer with a healthy diet. Yet, approximately one-third of the 565,650 cancer deaths expected to occur in 2008 are attributed to poor nutrition, physical inactivity and being overweight or obese.

Some of the key barriers to eating more fruits and vegetables found in the survey include spoilage, cost and the simple fact that Americans prefer to eat other meals or snacks, such as cookies, chips, pasta, meat or potatoes. Barriers to exercising include the notion that health clubs are too expensive, and a lack of time. However, if given an extra hour per day, only 10 percent said they would use that time to exercise.