Most Americans Still Not Eating Enough Fruits, Veggies  

No state has yet met the federal goals for consumption, CDC report finds

Ten years after the U.S. government set modest goals for the amount of fruit and vegetables people should eat, the majority of Americans are not even close to reaching those thresholds, according to a new report.

In fact, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2009, 67.5 percent of adults ate fruit less than two times daily and 73.7 percent ate vegetables less than three times per day. The goals of Healthy People 2010 were for 75 percent of people to eat at least two servings of fruit and 50 percent to eat at least three servings of vegetables every day. 

Past interventions of counseling people to change their eating habits haven’t worked. 

New programs will involve promoting gardening, farmer's markets and bringing more fruits and vegetables into schools and workplaces, according to CDC researchers. 

In addition, there could be programs to help retailers increase the availability of fruits and vegetables through incentives like tax breaks as well as making it easier for low-income people to afford fresh fruit and vegetables. However, that maybe wishful thinking. 

CDC researchers noted that low-income Americans are more likely not to have access to fresh fruits and vegetables at affordable prices, which is why programs specifically targeted at this population are needed. 

Despite efforts to increase healthy eating, over the past decade there has been a 2 percent decrease in fruit consumption and no change in the vegetable consumption, according to researchers. 

No state has yet met the Healthy People 2010 goals, while only Idaho improved. 

The 10 states where significant decreases in fruit and vegetable consumption were seen are Arizona, Kansas, Maryland, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and West Virginia, according to the report. 

A diet rich in fruit and vegetables is an important part of keeping your weight under control and reducing the risk of heart disease, some cancers, stroke, chronic lower respiratory diseases and diabetes, the authors say. 

Issue with eating fresh produce occur not only with accessibility but also with inconvenience in preparing and carrying them conveniently. Also a factor is cost. 

While it is common knowledge that produce is the better choice, junk and fast food are commonly taking precedent. 

Some simple ways to add more fruits and vegetables to your day include adding berries to your cereal or yogurt, throwing frozen vegetables into your soup and adding carrots, broccoli and mushrooms to your pasta sauce, recommends professional dieticians.