CDC: Adults eating less fruit, not enough veggies

[Kadie]

CDC: Adults eating less fruit, not enough veggies

By MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer Mike Stobbe, Ap Medical Writer – 35 mins ago
ATLANTA – An apple a day? Apparently not in the United States.

Most Americans still don't eat enough vegetables, and fruit consumption is actually dropping a little, according to a new government report released Thursday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that last year about one-third of U.S. adults had two or more servings of fruit or fruit juice a day. That's down slightly from more than 34 percent in 2000.

Only about 26 percent ate vegetables three or more times a day, the same as in 2000. The statistics come from a national telephone survey of hundreds of thousands of Americans.

No state met federal goals of three-quarters of Americans eating enough fruit, and half eating enough vegetables. California ate the most fruit and Tennessee was best with vegetables. Oklahoma was at the bottom for fruit and South Dakota had the lowest vegetable consumption.

The report did not ask people which fruits and vegetables they ate the most. But a CDC study published last year concluded that orange juice is the top source of fruit among U.S. adults and adolescents, and potatoes are the favorite vegetable.

more...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100909/ap_on_he_me/us_med_fruitless_america_3

[Warpy]

1. When I got poor, fruit was the first thing to go

and the only fruit I saw was a splurge on apple sauce that I stretched by spreading it on homemade bread. I did buy a small baggie of raisins in bulk once when I cracked, but that was it.

I saw plenty of veggies, cheap ones like carrots, parsnips, cabbage, turnips, winter squash, onions, and potatoes. For fresh greens, I sprouted buckwheat and sunflower seeds. Other than that, it was beans and rice and dried chiles.

If they want to know why people aren't eating a lot of fruit these days, they need to look at what the government subsidizes and makes cheap and what it doesn't subsidize and leaves expensive. Fruit tops that list. Veggies are next. When the budget gets really tight, the expensive stuff is eliminated.

You get what you pay for and the standard American diet relies on heavily subsidized meat, grain, and dairy.

[mistertrickster]

6. Absolutely. Fresh fruit and veggies are more perishable than about any food

one can buy.

Not only that, they are not subsidized like grain and milk, so they cost mucho dinero to begin with.

[FirstLight]

2. poverty...

I think I saw a piece some-time ago.... that when households suffer loss in income, the adults usually sacrifie their veggies and such for the kids...

and then how does that help us when we are falling apart and can't stay healthy for work because we are compromised...? endless cycle, eh?

[KamaAina]

3. Surprise! We have access to lots of different kinds of good fruit much of the year

veggies, too. I'm still working on the Granny Smiths I brought back right from proud patriot's tree after our gathering Sunday!

[OhioChick]

4. Likely too expensive for many n/t

[maxsolomon]

5. tomatoes are fruit, not veggies

so... yeah.

[HopeHoops]

7. Gee, I wonder McWhy.

:shrug:

[HughBeaumont]

8. Food Inc. made an important point -

In one segment, The Dollar menu at Burger King was actually cheaper for a poor family of four than nearly anything per pound at their local supermarket's produce section. Sad.