NEW YORK (AP) – Most U.S. adults still aren’t eating nearly enough fruits and vegetables.
In a large national survey, only 13 percent said they ate the recommended amount of fruit each day. And only 9 percent ate enough vegetables.
California – a big produce-growing state – ranked highest for eating both fruits and vegetables. Tennessee was at the bottom of the fruit list, and Mississippi was last in eating vegetables.
The government recommends that adults eat 1½ to two cups of fruit and two to three cups of vegetables each day.
Health officials have been trying to promote fruits and vegetables – especially leafy greens – as healthy alternatives to salty, fatty and sugary foods. The goal is to curb the nation’s obesity problem and reduce diabetes, heart disease and other maladies tied to bad diets.