Despite years of encouragement from parents and nutrition professionals, kids and adults still aren’t eating nearly enough fruits and vegetables, a recent report says. Most people consume less than two cups of fruits and veggies a day, far below the four to six cups recommended by the government’s dietary guidelines, according to the Produce for Better Health Foundation. For example:
Other findings in the produce report: Only 3% of all fruits and 15% of all vegetables are consumed by people when they go to restaurants. The data are from the NPD Group, a market-research firm.
However, in a survey of 1,000 moms, the mothers of young children say it’s easier to find fruits and vegetables when they are eating out than it used to be, probably because apple slices are on the menus of many fast-food restaurants. Diets rich in fruits and vegetables lower the risk of many types of cancer, stroke, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases.
This research is similar to a new report card issued by the National Fruit & Vegetable Alliance (NFVA), which shows that only eight percent of the American population and 12 percent of children achieve the target number of fruit servings in an average day. While the “fresh is best” mantra used to be a frequent refrain, nutrition experts now recognize that many forms of fruit can count as part of the fruit group, including canned, frozen and dried fruit and 100 percent fruit juice.
Do you have questions about low-calorie sweeteners? Want to learn more about maintaining a healthy lifestyle? You asked and we listened. Our resident Registered Dietitians answered the most popular questions about low-calorie sweeteners.
