A recent U.S. study showed that most Americans don’t eat the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables.
A program called ‘Healthy People 2010’ has a goal to get at least 75% of Americans to eat the recommended two or more daily servings of fruit and to get at least 50 percent of Americans to consume three or more daily servings of vegetables.
Currently, surveys from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that only 33% of adults consume the recommended servings of fruit and only 27 % consume the recommended amount of vegetables. And it comes as no surprise that the percentages are worse for teenagers with the consumption being only 32% of fruit and 13% of vegetables.
It is a known fact now that the health care costs in the U.S. have risen due in part to diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. Prevention of these types of chronic diseases can be helped through a diet high in fruits and vegetables.
A report called the State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables, 2009 — is the first to detail state-by-state data about fruit and vegetable consumption and policies that may help boost fruit and vegetable consumption. Three important policy and environmental areas were highlighted that are connect with fruit and vegetable consumption:
1) healthier retail food;
2) availability of healthier food in schools; and
3) food system support.
Schools can definitely influence better eating habits with students, staff, parents and other members of the community. Unfortunately the report found that only 21% of U.S. middle schools and high schools offer fruits and non-fried vegetables in vending machines, school stores or snack bars. Less than half the states (only 21) have policies to support farm-to-school programs that would increase access to fruits and vegetables as well as teach students about nutrition and agriculture.
Bottom line, it is imperative that the awareness level of healthy eating habits is constant throughout the U.S. The responsibility ultimately falls on each and every citizen to be educated about our health and make the necessary choices for the sake of good health in an effort to avoid chronic diseases.
