How's the week going?
A few days back, after my last post,
I got an e-mail from the American Association of Integrated Medicine, about an
article written by Litsa Sfarnas who is charge of the Centre for Disease
Control (CDC). It's about fruits and vegetables. It contains facts and figures.
A new report reveals that Americans
are not meeting national recommendations for consumption of fruits and
vegetables.
The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) analysis concludes that only 13.1% of American adults eat
enough fruits and only 8.9% eat enough vegetables.
The analysis uses the most recent
national survey of median daily frequency of fruit and vegetable intake and
shows that states varied widely in their consumption.
California ranks highest in
consumption of both fruits (17.7% of adults) and vegetables (13%), while at the
bottom of the list are Tennessee for fruit consumption (7.5%) and Mississippi
for vegetable consumption (5.5%).
Eating more fruits and vegetables increases
intake of essential nutrients and reduces the risk for heart disease, stroke
and some cancers. Fruits and vegetables also help manage body weight when eaten
instead of more energy-dense foods, note the report authors, Dr. Latetia V.
Moore, of the CDC, and Dr. Frances E. Thompson, of the National Cancer
Institute.
For their analysis, the authors used
data for 2013 from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). The
BRFSS - which in 2013 covered 373,580 respondents - is an ongoing, state-based
telephone survey of US adults that collects data on a number of health-related
areas, including food and disease.
The survey asks people questions
about the types of fruits and vegetables they eat and how frequently they eat
them. The categories include: 100% fruit juice, whole fruit, dried beans, dark
green vegetables, orange vegetable and other vegetables.
The authors compared the responses
to the nationally recommended guidelines which state that adults who engage in
less than 30 minutes of moderate physical activity daily should consume 1.5-2.0
cup equivalents of fruit and 2-3 cups of vegetables daily. (Adults who are more
physically active may be able to consume more to match their increased calorie
needs.)
'Substantial new efforts are needed'
Because of changes to how the survey
was done and the types of questions it asks, it is not possible to compare the
results with those of previous years, say the report authors.
They note that during 2007-10, half
of the US population consumed under 1 cup of fruits and under 1.5 cups of
vegetables a day: 76% did not meet recommendations for fruit intake, and 87%
did not meet vegetable intake recommendations.
The impression is that Americans
appear to be stuck at a low level of fruit and vegetable consumption as the
report concludes:
"Substantial new efforts are
needed to build consumer demand for fruits and vegetables through competitive
pricing, placement and promotion in child care, schools, grocery stores,
communities and work sites."
Fill at least half your plate with
fruits and vegetables
All produce counts: canned, dried,
fresh and frozen
Compare food labels on canned, dried
and frozen fruits and vegetables and choose the lowest sodium and added sugar
content
Add a fruit or vegetable salad to
lunch or dinner
Eat raw vegetable sticks instead of
chips
Carry dried fruit, such as raisins,
dates or dried apricots for snacks
Add chopped vegetables like onions,
garlic and celery when preparing soup, stew, beans, rice and sauces
Medical News Today recently reported
on a study from the CDC published in the journal Circulation that finds sugary
drink consumption may be responsible for more than 184,000 adult deaths
worldwide each year. The study defines sugary drinks as sugar-sweetened sodas,
sports and energy drinks, fruit drinks (but not 100% fruit juices), sweetened
ice teas and homemade sugary drinks.
Source:
Litsa Sfarnas, Centre for Disease Control (CDC), American Association of Integrated
Medicine (AAIM)
Have a fruity and veggy week ahead,
and remember, prevention is better than cure!!!
See yah next week.
Love,
Dr. 'Lara.
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