American's Eating Habits Declining

A new report by researchers at John Hopkins University shows that Americans are eating fewer vegtables than they did a decade ago. Fruit consumption has stayed about the same. The goals established as benchmarks for whether criteria were met or not were:

• Two or more servings of fruit, including fresh fruit, dried fruit, and 100% fruit juice
• Three or more servings of vegetables (fried potatoes count).

Even with the dubious inclusion of french fries the report showed that only 32% versus 35% from the earlier study were meeting these very modest goals. The report also showed that people tend to eat the same vegetables repeatedly with little diveristy in their diet. The study was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. A summary of the article can he found here.

If you'd like to improve your diet by adding fruits and vegetables to it consider eating by colors. At each meal your goal should be to have three different colors on your plate. For more colorful guidelines visit here. Here are some other practical suggestions for increasing your intake of fruit and vegatables, and some quick cooking ideas.

Without exception improving your well-being and reducing the risk of chronic diseases begins with a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Here are some other healthy reasons to change your eating habits.