Even fewer adults eat enough vegetables to meet recommendations, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers found.
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Considering an on overall picture, just about 13 percent people in the US said they were eating adequate amount of fruit and some 8.9 percent said they were eating enough vegetables to be in line with the recommendations.
Because fruit and vegetable consumption affects multiple health outcomes and is now low across all states, considerable new efforts are needed to create consumer demand for fruits and vegetables via placement, competitive pricing, and promotion in schools, grocery stores, child care, communities, and work sites.
Moore and her coauthors analyzed the most recent Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey for all 50 states and the District of Columbia, using a new scoring procedure to compare state-reported numbers, which are usually expressed as “frequency of intake”, to federal requirements, normally counted in “cups per day”. Unfortunately, the study also says that some states dip far lower-like in Tennessee, where the statistic is closer to 7.5 percent.
Most consume fewer than two servings of fruits or vegetables per day.
Federal guidelines suggest that Americans who get less than 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity on a daily basis should attempt to eat between 1.5 and 2 cups of fruits and up to 2 to 3 cups of veggies.
“Fruits and vegetables are major contributors of important nutrients that are typically lacking from Americans’ diets and they can protect against many leading causes of illness and death like heart disease, stroke and some cancers”, Moore said.
Moore went on to add that all types of vegetables and fruit count though the dietary guidelines for Americans recommended that most of the fruit intake came from whole fruit as opposed to fruit juice and we should eat vegetables and fruits that have lesser added sugars and solid fat. It is also not know whether the numbers represent increases or decreases in fruit & vegetable consumption from periods before 2010.
Fruits and Vegetables are also high in fiber, which the traditional American diet does not seem to be high in.
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Additionally, with the obesity epidemic, more and more people should be turning to fruits and vegetables as they are generally low calorie, full of fiber and water which can help to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight.
