Getting Your Family to Eat Fruits
September 17th 2010 17:31
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I usually don`t report items from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention because sometime the stuff is bent for vested interests. But this time, CDC recently announced trends in fruit and vegetable consumption among adults. I think this is worthy of note.
Since 2000, the CDC has spearheaded efforts with goals of getting 75% of Americans to eat two or more servings of fruit a day and 50% of Americans to eat three or more servings of vegetables a day. Unfortunately, Americans aren't meeting these modest targets.
Although a diet high in fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk for many chronic diseases, Americans just aren't getting enough. In fact, since 2000, the amount of vegetables Americans are eating has stayed the same and the amount of fruit Americans are eating has gone down. The CDC found that only about a third of adults were eating their recommended servings of fruit, and just over a quarter of adults were eating their recommended servings of vegetables.
So why aren't Americans getting their recommended servings of fruits and vegetables? It turns out Americans might be spoiled when it comes to their produce. A national survey conducted by Fruit2day reveals that nearly half of Americans leave fruit in their fridge until it rots with people in Boston among the worst and those in New York and Los Angeles among the best. Sadly, most Americans admit to leaving fruit in the fridge for more than a week. I am guilty of this, but I still eat my fruit and vegetables. It`s getting my husband and daughter to eat them that`s tough.
There are many reasons why Americans don't eat their fruits and vegetables, including the inconvenience of having to wash or peel it. I try to stress purpose with my family. The reason you eat fruits and vegetables is because it's healthy. Being healthy makes you happier.
Other quirky findings from the Fruit2day survey include:
-- Americans choose strawberries as their favorite fruit. Bananas come in second.
-- The reason behind the love of strawberries? Americans see themselves as having sweet, caring personalities like a strawberry.
-- If they had their choice, Americans would grab grapes for a food fight because they provide a lot of ammunition. They would also reach for peaches because they make a juicy mess.
-- A third of Americans would rather drink 100% fruit juice than eat actual fruit.
Again, stressing the benefits of eating right helps one decide for themselves what they should eat and not eat.
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