Both doctors and dieticians like to stress the importance of eating fruits and vegetables as they fill our bodies with nutrients, vitamins and fibers. But despite this, a recent analysis conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has revealed that most of us still don’t consume anywhere near enough fruits and vegetables.
Americans are in great need of a lifestyle change, and it’s not just kids and teens who become fussy eaters once someone brings up healthy greens, yellows and reds. The results showed that just one in five (1 in 5) American adults eat the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables advised by the government dietary suggestions.
To be specific, the government dietary suggestions say that people should ideally eat something like 1.5 or 2 cups of fruit on a daily basis, and something like 2 or 3 cups of vegetables on a daily basis. But not only do most American adults fail to meet both of these standards, they actually prefer the reverse, as more people are willing to consume a daily dose of fruits, not vegetables.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) researchers did find that the consummation rate is different from one state to the next, but the overall average isn’t very sunny. Statistically speaking, 87 percent (87%) of American adults don’t consume enough fruit on a daily basis, and 91 percent (91%) of American adults don’t consume enough vegetables on a daily basis.
California turned out to have the highest consumption rate for both fruits and vegetables. The state has 13 percent (13%) of its residents consuming the required amount of vegetables on a daily basis, and 18 percent (18%) of its residents consuming the required amount of fruit on a daily basis.
On the other hand, Mississippi was revealed to be the state with the lowest percentage of residents who consume the required amount of vegetables on a daily basis – just 6 percent (6%) – and Tennessee was revealed to be the state with the lowest percentage of residents who consume the required amount of fruit – just 8 percent (8%).
To reach this conclusion, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) researchers studied a survey conducted just a couple of years ago, in 2013. They looked at the dietary habits of no less than 373.000 American adults, from all over the 50 states.
The undeniable conclusion was that there’s only an average of 13 percent (13%) American adults who meet the fruit standards set by the government dietary suggestions, and there’s only an average of 9 percent (9%) American adults who meet the vegetable standards set by the government dietary suggestions.
The experts concluded that because fruits and vegetable are an essential part of people’s diet and they affect many different health outcomes, healthcare workers have to continue carrying out efforts that try to increase the consumption of these goods.
Latetia V. Moore, member of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion from the CDC, gave a statements stressing that consuming the appropriate amount of fruits and vegetables every day can help prevent the development of obesity, stroke, heart disease, and even certain cancers.
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Ryan Harris
