Fri, Mar. 16, 2007
Americans fail to heed advice to 'eat your vegetables'
Fewer than a third of those surveyed don't eat amount government guidelines recommend
By Daniel Yee
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA - Fewer than a third of U.S. adults eat the amount of fruits and vegetables the government recommends, a trend that has remained steady for more than a decade, health officials said Thursday.
That's "well below" the government's goal of getting 75 percent of Americans to eat two servings of fruits and having half of the population consume three servings of vegetables each day by 2010, said Dr. Larry Cohen of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The diet survey, part of a federal health survey of every state, is based on responses from 305,000 adults in 2005. It indicates the country is only about halfway toward meeting its healthful- eating goal three years from now.
"We're really concerned with the lack of success in meeting these national goals," said Cohen, who works in CDC's nutrition and physical activity division.
The rate of fruit and vegetable consumption has remained unchanged since 1994, but health officials said the goal is within reach.
"We have more work to do over the next few years," said spokeswoman Rachel Ciccarone.
Specifically, the survey showed that 27 percent of adults ate vegetables three times a day, and about 33 percent ate fruit twice a day. A serving size is a half-cup for most fruits and vegetables, one cup for leafy greens.
Seniors were more likely than others to follow advice to eat more vegetables, with slightly more than a third of that group eating three or more servings each day. Younger adults, ages 18 to 24, ate the fewest vegetables. Nearly four-fifths of that age category fell short.
Likewise, seniors also ate the most fruit, with nearly 46 percent eating two or more servings of fruit daily. People ages 35 to 44 ate fruit the least, with fewer than 28 percent eating the recommended amount of fruit each day.
The federal agency said it doesn't know why people aren't eating more veggies or fruits. Cohen said future surveys will ask people what other foods they are eating.
Susan Krause, a clinical dietitian at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, said people are eating more refined sugars or choosing protein instead of fruits and vegetables.
"There's so much information out there and people get very confused. When they're looking at protein, they feel that's the solution when they're not looking at long-term health benefits," she said. "There's so many fabricated foods now and people are looking at convenience."
Not only are fruits and vegetables lower in calories, they also have minerals and fiber that help guard against chronic diseases and cancer, the CDC says.
The survey relied on people to report what they were eating. Telephone questioners asked how often they consumed fruit juice, fruit and vegetables. Although Latinos ate the most fruits (37 percent) compared with blacks and whites, they ate the fewest vegetables, (about 20 percent). Whites, in contrast, ate the fewest fruits (31 percent) but the most vegetables (28 percent).
Cohen said the CDC has been working on family and community programs to get more people to eat vegetables. The agency is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to get more fresh produce into schools.
Krause said health officials should offer people simple options for getting fruits and vegetables in their diets, such as easy recipes in cooking classes and fruit smoothies or shakes in schools.
"If that's a way of getting it in, at least it's in the right direction," she said. "Certainly (whole) fruit is a better choice, but that could be the next alternative."
Eat Your Veggies
• THE SURVEY: One-third of Americans eat fruit twice a day, and 27 percent eat vegetables three times a day, according to a government survey.
• THE GOAL: By 2010, U.S. health officials want 75 percent of Americans to eat two fruits a day and 50 percent to eat three vegetables a day.
• WHAT AMERICANS EAT INSTEAD: Future surveys will try to figure that out, but experts think it's mostly protein and convenient "fabricated foods."
Online
CDC information: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
Serving size information:
www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/html/append ixa.htm
Americans fail to heed advice to 'eat your vegetables'
Fewer than a third of those surveyed don't eat amount government guidelines recommend
By Daniel Yee
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA - Fewer than a third of U.S. adults eat the amount of fruits and vegetables the government recommends, a trend that has remained steady for more than a decade, health officials said Thursday.
That's "well below" the government's goal of getting 75 percent of Americans to eat two servings of fruits and having half of the population consume three servings of vegetables each day by 2010, said Dr. Larry Cohen of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The diet survey, part of a federal health survey of every state, is based on responses from 305,000 adults in 2005. It indicates the country is only about halfway toward meeting its healthful- eating goal three years from now.
"We're really concerned with the lack of success in meeting these national goals," said Cohen, who works in CDC's nutrition and physical activity division.
The rate of fruit and vegetable consumption has remained unchanged since 1994, but health officials said the goal is within reach.
"We have more work to do over the next few years," said spokeswoman Rachel Ciccarone.
Specifically, the survey showed that 27 percent of adults ate vegetables three times a day, and about 33 percent ate fruit twice a day. A serving size is a half-cup for most fruits and vegetables, one cup for leafy greens.
Seniors were more likely than others to follow advice to eat more vegetables, with slightly more than a third of that group eating three or more servings each day. Younger adults, ages 18 to 24, ate the fewest vegetables. Nearly four-fifths of that age category fell short.
Likewise, seniors also ate the most fruit, with nearly 46 percent eating two or more servings of fruit daily. People ages 35 to 44 ate fruit the least, with fewer than 28 percent eating the recommended amount of fruit each day.
The federal agency said it doesn't know why people aren't eating more veggies or fruits. Cohen said future surveys will ask people what other foods they are eating.
Susan Krause, a clinical dietitian at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, said people are eating more refined sugars or choosing protein instead of fruits and vegetables.
"There's so much information out there and people get very confused. When they're looking at protein, they feel that's the solution when they're not looking at long-term health benefits," she said. "There's so many fabricated foods now and people are looking at convenience."
Not only are fruits and vegetables lower in calories, they also have minerals and fiber that help guard against chronic diseases and cancer, the CDC says.
The survey relied on people to report what they were eating. Telephone questioners asked how often they consumed fruit juice, fruit and vegetables. Although Latinos ate the most fruits (37 percent) compared with blacks and whites, they ate the fewest vegetables, (about 20 percent). Whites, in contrast, ate the fewest fruits (31 percent) but the most vegetables (28 percent).
Cohen said the CDC has been working on family and community programs to get more people to eat vegetables. The agency is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to get more fresh produce into schools.
Krause said health officials should offer people simple options for getting fruits and vegetables in their diets, such as easy recipes in cooking classes and fruit smoothies or shakes in schools.
"If that's a way of getting it in, at least it's in the right direction," she said. "Certainly (whole) fruit is a better choice, but that could be the next alternative."
Eat Your Veggies
• THE SURVEY: One-third of Americans eat fruit twice a day, and 27 percent eat vegetables three times a day, according to a government survey.
• THE GOAL: By 2010, U.S. health officials want 75 percent of Americans to eat two fruits a day and 50 percent to eat three vegetables a day.
• WHAT AMERICANS EAT INSTEAD: Future surveys will try to figure that out, but experts think it's mostly protein and convenient "fabricated foods."
Online
CDC information: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
Serving size information:
www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/html/append ixa.htm