In an official report released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it appears that most Americans still aren’t eating enough vegetables, and their consumption of fruits is dropping, as well.
The study, conducted via telephone, surveyed hundreds of thousands of adult Americans. In it, the CDC found that just under 1/3 of Americans ate fruit, or drank fruit juice, at least twice a day. An earlier report released in 2000 showed a figure of 34%. Just over 1/4 of those surveyed admit to eating vegetables at least three times a day. This figure remained the same.
When the study was broken down by state, no one state met either the fruit or vegetable recommendation. California ate the most fruit and Tennessee was best with vegetables. Oklahoma was at the bottom for fruit consumption and South Dakota had the lowest vegetable consumption.
There was no report of which fruits and vegetables were preferred, but a CDC study published last year indicated that orange juice is the top source of fruit among U.S. adults and adolescents, and potatoes are the favorite vegetable. Health officials have been working to increase intake of both fruits and veggies, in particular leafy greens, in place of high fat and high salt snacks. They hope to slow the nations obesity problem and reduce the number of individuals afflicted with dietary related diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
The 2024 data are discouraging, said Dr. Jennifer Foltz, one of the study’s authors.
“We aren’t making progress, that’s for sure,” said Foltz, a CDC epidemiologist.
via Yahoo! News
Also Read: