U.S. Falls Short on Fruits and Vegetables
It’s probably no secret that most Americans do not eat enough fruits and vegetables. When you look at the typical diet in this country, crowded with fast and prepared foods, you don’t see many colorful fruits and vegetables on the plate. But most people would be surprised to learn just how far we fall short of meeting the mark, when it comes to eating enough produce.
Only 12.2 percent of adults met the recommendation for fruit intake, and 9.3 percent for vegetables in 2015, based on the amount of fruits and vegetables recommended by the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The intake was lower among men, young adults, and young adults in poverty. The largest differences included recommended fruit intake by women (15.1 percent) and men (9.2 percent), and recommended vegetable intake among those in high-income households (11.4 percent) and those close to or below poverty level (7 percent). Eating enough fruits and vegetables reduces the risks of many chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. So, it’s really important to meet your recommended intake. Check out my blogs below for ways to push up the fruits and veggies in your diet every day.
(CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, November 17, 2017)
Read more about the report here.
To learn more about ways to meet your recommended fruit and vegetable intake, check out the following blogs:
Turn that Frozen Bag of Frozen Vegetables into Dinner
Eat a Rainbow of Fruits and Veggies
Getting Your Kids to Eat Veggies
Dried Fruits: Endless Summer Eating
Check out some of my favorite recipes featuring fruits and vegetables:
Chipotle Tomato Rice Power Bowl
Mandarin, Quinoa and Kale Bowl
Squash Filled with Herbed Quinoa and Cranberries
Butternut Squash Kale Barley Salad
Image: Mediterranean Persimmon White Bean Kale Salad, Sharon Palmer, RDN