US Fruit And Veggie Consumption Levels Are Bleak

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US Fruit And Veggie Consumption Levels Are Bleak

 

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - While Americans are continually reminded

to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily and

keep calories from fat to a minimum, the message doesn't appear to

be catching on, a new survey suggests.

 

Consuming a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean

meat, poultry and fish and low in fat and sodium has been shown to

significantly reduce a person's risk of developing heart disease. In

fact, the evidence is so strong that recent studies have suggested

that individuals try to eat up to nine daily servings of fruits and

vegetables.

 

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota surveyed 732

local residents in Olmstead county Minnesota and found that only 16%

of adults scarf down five or more servings of fruits and/or

vegetables each day and get no more than 30% of calories from fat.

 

" More effective interventions are needed to improve dietary habits

in all subgroups of this community, " writes lead author Dr. Stephen

W. DeBoer and colleagues in the February issue of the journal Mayo

Clinic Proceedings.

 

Previous national surveys have suggested that only about 33% of the

US population adhere to the American Heart Association's

recommendations for a heart healthy, low-fat diet, and a 16-state

survey showed that less than a quarter of adults consumed the daily

recommended amount of fruits and vegetables.

 

If public health officials hope to get upwards of 75% of the

population eating more fruits and vegetables--one goal of Healthy

People 2010, the US Department of Health and Human Services' program

designed to improve the health of US residents--more public outreach

is going to be needed, according to the report.

 

" Local public health campaigns...and national campaigns will need to

partner with local health care practitioners and community

organizations to develop effective methods to promote healthier

dietary habits among all subgroups of the population, " the authors

conclude.