Hi Welcome back!
Well is there a correlation between low Fruit & Vegetable & High Obesity rates? It certainly seems so…
The USA’s (& by extension the Western world in general) Fruit and Vegetable Intake has now become a Major Chronic Public Health Issue.
Hmmm... looks like we don't these very much at all!
Back in 2000 the USA Health Department (with other government agencies) set targets for fruit & vegetable consumption. Targets that have been sorely missed…Back then the goal was to get every American eating an average of 5 – 13 servings of Fruit & Vegetables every day.
The averages, according to the State of the Plate are 1.13 cups of vegetables and 0.68 cups of fruit every day. A long way away from the targets… In fact only 6% of people hit the vegetable target and 8% for the fruit intake. In plan terms over 90% of the American public do not eat enough fruit & vegetables on a regular basis. The reality is that the average American eats 2-3 servings a day combined!
Despite a positive rises in fruit & vegetable consumption by under 6 year olds and in the 6 – 12 year old groups (Fruit 11% & & 7%, Veges 3% and 2% respectively) 13 – 17 year old reduced their consumption. As did the men 45-54 and women 55 and older…No group increased consumption by more than 5%.
These results are in spite of enormous advertising and public education programs run by groups like the National Fruit & Vegetable Association. Obviously newer and more effective programs need to be developed.
Not only is this frightening, but it highlights what must surely be a looming chronic public health issue. It is well accepted by now that by including fruits and vegetables as major components of a healthy diet there is a reduction in the risk of chronic diseases such as stroke, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and even certain types of cancer. Fruit & Vegetables also help reduce body fat because they are high in nutrients and fibre, but low in calories.
Out of the top 10 states with the highest rates of obesity, eight of them had the lowest per individual consumption of vegetables and fruit. There seems to a direct correlation between the amount low / no or unprocessed carbs consumed and the amount of obesity present. Plainly, as a general rule, the fewer fruits & vegetables you eat the fatter you are.
Not enough Fruit & Vegetables being eaten here!!
With obesity related health care costs of an estimated $147 Billion (more than the GDP of some countries!!) in 2008, the USA is spending around 10% of its total outlay on healthcare in this area. I know that here in Australia that our spending is also on the rise…It seems like a high price to pay for not eating your Fruit & veges….
But it gets worse – it is unlikely that even the 8% who hit their 12-15 servings a day are not eating a wide enough variety of colourful fruits and vegetables to get all of the necessary vitamins and minerals for good health. No wonder Doctors are regularly suggesting people take a multivitamin every day – something unheard of a decade ago.
What can you do? Follow the information being put out here on this blog – move more, eat less processed foods and increase your lean protein, fruit & vegetable intake.