Most Americans Still Don’t Eat Enough Fruits and Vegetables

Can’t say I’m shocked. Next time you’re standing in line at the supermarket, look at what the people around you are buying.

I bet it’s a lot of boxed cereal, cold cuts, white bread, some sort of breakfast bars, and most likely a case or two of soda.

That guess is probably right on point, because a new report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, entitled State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables, 2009, reveals no state has reached national objectives for eating fruits and vegetables.

The goal sounded simple, get 75% of Americans to eat two or more servings of fruits and 50% of people to eat three or more servings of vegetables each day.

Turns out, the end result was a major fail. Surveys showed only 33% of adults met the fruit target and only 27% ate the recommended amount of vegetables.

And it was really bad among high school kids with just 32% eating enough fruit and only 13% for vegetables. Wow, 13% sounds high! I didn’t think there were any vegetables in the slop they used to serve us. It was like a redux of Oliver Twist.

The report reiterates the importance of fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy diet, and encourages school systems to remove vending machines, sell less sugary snacks and integrate more farm-to-school food programs.

All that sounds great, but unless McDonald’s and Taco Bell start opening up fresh markets, the closest Americans will get to eating vegetables every day is ketchup.

Via HealthDay News.

Image credit: ƒernando