About The Buzz: Adults and Adolescents Aren’t Eating Enough Fruits and Vegetables?

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
A new report out from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that very few adults and even fewer adolescents are eating enough fruits and vegetables.

WHAT WE KNOW

The 2009 State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables was released by the CDC in late September. This document summarizes data for fruit and vegetable consumption from multiple sources and, for the first time, breaks the results down by state. The report shows that all states in the country fall short of national objectives for consumption of fruits and vegetables, which aim for 75 percent of Americans to eat at least 2 servings of fruit, and for 50 percent of Americans to eat at least 3 servings of vegetables daily.

HOW DO WE KNOW THIS?

Nationally, CDC supported state surveys indicate that only 33 percent of adults are meeting the recommendation for fruit consumption and 27 percent are meeting the vegetable recommendation each day. On average, only 14 percent of American adults consume at least 2 servings of fruit and at least 3 servings of vegetables daily. The statistics are even worse for high school students – 32 percent of them report eating at least 2 fruit servings daily and 13 percent say they eat at least 3 vegetable servings each day. On average, only 9.5 percent of American adolescents consume at least 2 servings of fruit and at least 3 servings of vegetables each day.

OUR ADVICE

A diet high in fruits and vegetables is important for optimal growth in children, weight management and the prevention of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. Eating a diet that includes a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables provides a wide range of valuable nutrients important to health. Based on this state-by-state data from the State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables, every single state has a great deal of room for improvement. When you remember that all product forms matter; fresh, frozen, canned, dried, and 100 percent fruit and vegetable juices, it really is easy to add more fruits and vegetables throughout the day. The Fruits and Veggies—More Matters website can act as a resource to assist with your efforts to add more fruits and vegetables to meals and snacks.