Fewer than one in 10 Americans eat enough fruit and vegetables, a CDC report has found.
That means more than 290 million people struggle to eat at least two pieces of fruit and three cups of vegetables a day, drastically increasing their risk of diabetes, heart disease, obesity and even cancer.
Fruit consumption is higher than vegetable consumption, but marginally: 12 percent compared to nine percent.
Rates are particularly low in poverty-stricken Appalachia, with the worst nutrition seen in West Virginia.
But even in the healthiest states of Washington, D.C. and Alaska, more than 85 percent of people fail to reach the minimum recommended daily allowance.
US federal guidelines recommend eating at least two pieces of fruit and three small servings of vegetables – or a large salad – a day. But a CDC report shows just a fraction of people do this
Experts warn the findings, published on Thursday, underscore that efforts to overhaul the American diet – to curb rocketing diabetes and heart disease rates – are failing miserably.
‘This report highlights that very few Americans eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables every day, putting them at risk for chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease,’ said lead author Dr Seung Hee Lee Kwan, of CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity.
‘As a result, we’re missing out on the essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber that fruits and vegetables provide.’
According to the report, the state with the lowest rate of both vegetable consumption and fruit consumption is West Virginia – with six percent meeting the minimum for vegetables and seven percent meeting the fruit minimum.
The highest rate for vegetable consumption was seen in Alaska, where 12 percent consume at least three cups of vegetables a day.
Washington, D.C. has the highest rate of fruit consumption, with 16 percent consuming at least two pieces of fruit a day.
The nutrients in fruit and vegetables can help lower blood pressure and replenish cells, lowering the risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and brain diseases including Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Conversely, sugars and processed foods like white bread and processed meat inflict a heavy toll on the arteries and organs, overwhelming the liver with more fat than it can handle. This can lead to insulin resistance, triggering weight gain and obesity-related diseases.
However, those processed ingredients are the mainstays of the so-called ‘Western diet’.
Many public health researchers believe that is the reason America has much higher rates of dementia, premature death, heart disease and obesity compared to countries that follow a Mediterranean diet (rich in oily fish, whole wheat, fruit and vegetables).