According to the CDC, most young Americans pass on fruits and vegetables
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) conducted a study which found that the majority of Americans don’t eat that many fruits and vegetables.
The study looked at fruit and vegetable consumption in each state, breaking down the population into several categories including age, income, race, ethnicity, and gender.
Apparently, only 9.3 percent of adults eat enough vegetable while 12.2 percent get the recommended amount of fruit daily. The CDC thinks adults should consume one and a half to two cups of fruits and two to three cups of vegetables per day. The right amount of fruit and vegetables will get you enough vitamins and minerals to fend off type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and obesity. Eating fruits and vegetables in darker colors deliver a higher amount of antioxidants. These, in turn, are more effective when fighting off cancer and cardiovascular problems.
Only one in ten adults is eating more fruits and vegetables than recommended in the government’s current dietary guidelines. Men were found to be lacking in the fruit and veggie department while young people in general (aged eighteen to thirty) tended to pass on the two foods. All socioeconomic groups scored poorly even though wealthy Americans were found to meet vegetable requirements, researchers found.
However, there is a silver lining to all of this as the US Department of Agriculture found Americans to be eating slightly more fruits and vegetables than in the 1970s
The CDC hopes this new study will help each state in adopting a more active stance towards healthier diets.
“States can use this information to inform the development of policies and programs that help all adults regardless of the sociodemographic group to consume more vegetables and thus prevent costly chronic diseases”. The report concludes.
Image Source: Cancer.gov
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