States Charged with Boosting Fruit & Vegetable Consumption Following CDC Study
As a result of a study measuring national objectives for healthy eating, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention has urged states to intensify efforts toward making fruits and vegetables available in schools and retail environments. The 2009 State Indicator Report issued in December shows that no U.S. state has reached national goals established for fruit and vegetable consumption. While national objectives require 75% of Americans to eat two or more daily servings of fruits and vegetables, the majority does not, and the deficit is evident in every state in the country.
Susan Davis, MS, RD, Nutrition Advisor to the Wild Blueberry Association of North America, said the current climate is a “perfect storm” against good nutrition. “Fruit and vegetable consumption has always been low,” she said. “And with the increase in fast food availability, eating away from home, and advertising for highly processed, low nutrient foods, it is the logical outcome.” The study indicates only 33% of Americans eat the recommended servings of fruit, and 27% eat the recommended amount of vegetables.
Such imbalanced diets can contribute to obesity, which in turn will aggravate every disease of aging, Davis said, but she emphasized that the implications are even more widespread. “A diet deficient in fruits and vegetables is a diet deficient in nutrients. Other foods and supplements cannot replace or substitute for them,” she said. “What we eat is directly related to diseases of aging like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s and other dementias and some cancers. In youth, a poor diet will show up in energy levels, concentration, poor dental health and susceptibility to viruses and infections.”
Policy changes that focus on availability address the first step in increasing consumption, according to the CDC. William H. Dietz, director of CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, said the state indicator report will help provide ways for states to encourage people to eat more fruits and vegetables. The report urges state and local officials and community members to focus on improvements in affordability and availability of healthy foods, and identifies schools, retail environments and food-to-farm supply chains as areas of focus.
Frozen fruits may represent one way to increase available options for consumers. Frozen fruits are just as nutritious as fresh and will provide the protective nutrients, fiber and antioxidant power that consumers need. They are also more economical, don’t spoil, and can provide necessary convenience for those seeking ways to integrate nutrition into their diets. “They should be a staple in every household,” said Davis. “Convenience is everything for today’s busy families. Having frozen fruit available makes it easier for busy parents to add it to children’s diets.”
As states work to herald the message of healthy eating, they have plenty to draw from: at the same time numbers for eating recommended amount of fruits and vegetables lag, exciting research into their nutritional potency accelerates. Wild Blueberries, for instance, have been found to contribute to fighting heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and other diseases of aging, and new discoveries about the benefits of this antioxidant powerhouse are now being tested. “Current research is showing how critical nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables are for all stages of life and every part of the body, whether it’s heart, brain, blood vessels, skin, kidneys or bones,” said Davis.
