Only 26 per cent eat veggies three or more times per day
The U.S. government and vegetable producers are pushing Americans to eat more veggies, but it isn’t working: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released a study finding that only 26 per cent of U.S. adults eat vegetables three or more times a day, the New York Times reports, falling far short of federal health objectives set 10 years ago. Only 23 per cent of meals include a vegetable, it said, and the number of dinners prepared at home that include a salad has fallen to 17 per cent, from 22 per cent in 1994. Meanwhile, sales of convenience vegetables (like pre-packaged broccoli) are growing as the food industry tries to make it easier to eat vegetables. But it seems that people aren’t eating more vegetables as a result; they’re just shifting veggie purchases to more convenient ones. The government recommends 4.5 cups of fruits and vegetables for people who eat 2,000 calories per day, equal to nine servings.