Nutrition

According to the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Report, “the American diet has shifted dramatically toward ultra-processed foods (UPFs), leading to nutrient depletion, increased caloric intake, and exposure to harmful additives.”1 A recent study using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) show that UPFs made up more than 50% of adults’ energy intake in 2003-20182 and 67% of children’s energy intake in 2018.3 According to Healthy People 2030, eating too many unhealthy foods, such as those high in saturated fat and added sugars, like many fast food choices, can increase risk for obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other health problems. Many people struggle to eat healthy foods due to lack of information about nutritious choices, lack of availability of healthy foods, or difficulties affording heathy food. Public health initiatives that teach people about nutrition and help them get healthy foods may reduce food insecurity and hunger and help reduce the risk of chronic diseases.4

This page provides data points and curated searches from OMH’s Knowledge Center library catalog related to nutrition within minority and tribal populations in the United States and its territories. The number of catalog records for each topic reflect the search results at the time of this page’s latest update.

For culturally responsive interventions related to diet, visit Part D. Chapter 8 of the Scientific Report of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.

American Indian/Alaska Native

Data regarding the nutrition of American Indians/Alaska Natives is limited. A study published in 2019 in Preventing Chronic Disease found low adherence to dietary guidelines during pregnancy among pregnant Northern Plains American Indian women.5 A study published by the same journal in 2020 emphasized the importance of tribally-led traditional food programs to address chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes among American Indian/Alaska Native communities.6

Asian American

According to data from 2013-2016, 30.6% of non-Hispanic Asian American adults7 and 27.3% of non-Hispanic Asian American youths aged 2-19 consumed fast food on any given day.8

Black/African American

According to data from 2013-2016, 42.4% of non-Hispanic Black adults9 and 39.6% of non-Hispanic Black youths aged 2-19 consumed fast food on any given day.10

Hispanic/Latino

According to data from 2013-2016, 35.5% of Hispanic adults11 and 36.6% of Hispanic youths aged 2-19 consumed fast food on any given day.12

Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

Data regarding the nutrition of Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders is limited. An NIH-funded study published in 2012 found that less than 20% of Native Hawaiians in the study cohort met vegetable, fruit, fiber, and whole grain dietary recommendations.13

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1 Make America Healthy Again Commission. (2025). The MAHA report: Make our children healthy again. The White House. https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/MAHA-Report-The-White-House.pdf (Back to footnote)

2 Wolfson, J. A., Tucker, A. C., Leung, C. W., Rebholz, C. M., Garcia-Larsen, V., & Martinez-Steele, E. (2025). Trends in Adults' Intake of Un-processed/Minimally Processed, and Ultra-processed foods at Home and Away from Home in the United States from 2003-2018. The Journal of Nutrition, 155(1), 280–292. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2024.10.048 (Back to footnote)

3 Wang, L., Martínez Steele, E., Du, M., Pomeranz, J. L., O'Connor, L. E., Herrick, K. A., Luo, H., Zhang, X., Mozaffarian, D., & Zhang, F. F. (2021). Trends in Consumption of Ultraprocessed Foods Among US Youths Aged 2-19 Years, 1999-2018. JAMA, 326(6), 519–530. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2021.10238 (Back to footnote)

4 Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (n.d.). Nutrition and healthy eating. In Healthy People 2030. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved September 23, 2025, from https://odphp.health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/nutrition-and-healthy-eating (Back to footnote)

5 Ferranti, E. P., Hartman, T. J., Elliott, A. J., Mitchell, D. C., Angal, J., Nickleach, D., Bellissimo, M., & Breslow, R. (2019). Diet Quality of Pregnant American Indian Women in the Northern Plains. Preventing Chronic Disease, 16, E53. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd16.180536 (Back to footnote)

6 DeBruyn, L., Fullerton, L., Satterfield, D., & Frank, M. (2020). Integrating Culture and History to Promote Health and Help Prevent Type 2 Diabetes in American Indian/Alaska Native Communities: Traditional Foods Have Become a Way to Talk About Health. Preventing Chronic Disease, 17, E12. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd17.190213 (Back to footnote) (Back to footnote)

7 Fryar, C. D., Hughes, J. P., Herrick, K. A., & Ahluwalia, N. (2018). Fast food consumption among adults in the United States, 2013–2016. NCHS Data Brief, no. 322, 1-8. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db322-h.pdf (Back to footnote)

8 Herrick, K., Fryar, C., Ahluwalia, N., & Hales, C. (2018). QuickStats: Percentage of youths aged 2–19 years consuming any fast food on a given day, by race and Hispanic origin—National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2013–2016. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 67(40), 1134. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6740a8 (Back to footnote)

9 Fryar, C. D., Hughes, J. P., Herrick, K. A., & Ahluwalia, N. (2018). Fast food consumption among adults in the United States, 2013–2016. NCHS Data Brief, no. 322, 1-8. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db322-h.pdf (Back to footnote)

10 Herrick, K., Fryar, C., Ahluwalia, N., & Hales, C. (2018). QuickStats: Percentage of youths aged 2–19 years consuming any fast food on a given day, by race and Hispanic origin—National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2013–2016. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 67(40), 1134. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6740a8 (Back to footnote)

11 Fryar, C. D., Hughes, J. P., Herrick, K. A., & Ahluwalia, N. (2018). Fast food consumption among adults in the United States, 2013–2016. NCHS Data Brief, no. 322, 1-8. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db322-h.pdf (Back to footnote)

12 Herrick, K., Fryar, C., Ahluwalia, N., & Hales, C. (2018). QuickStats: Percentage of youths aged 2–19 years consuming any fast food on a given day, by race and Hispanic origin—National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2013–2016. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 67(40), 1134. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6740a8 (Back to footnote)

13 McEligot, A. J., McMullin, J., Pang, K., Bone, M., Winston, S., Ngewa, R., & Tanjasiri, S. P. (2012). Dietary intakes, obesity and health behaviors in Native Hawaiians residing in Southern California. Hawai'i Journal of Medicine & Public Health : A Journal of Asia Pacific Medicine & Public Health, 71(5), 124–128. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3360080/ (Back to footnote)