9 in 10 high schoolers short on fruits, veggies
September 29, 2009 By MIKE STOBBE , AP Medical Writer(AP) -- Health officials say only 13 percent of U.S. high school students get at least three servings of vegetables a day and just 32 percent get two servings of fruit.
Together, less than 10 percent of high schoolers were eating the combined recommended daily minimum of fruits and vegetables.
Some states - including Arkansas and North Carolina - were significantly below that average. But some New England states, including Vermont, were notably better.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the report Tuesday, calling it the first to give such detailed information on adolescents' fruit and vegetable consumption.
The information comes from a national survey of about 100,000 high school students in 2007.
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On the Net:
CDC report: http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/indicatorreport
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Jul 08, 2009 |
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So, the argument is "supply and demand".
Well, I don't think that was ever my main reason for not eating enough fruits and vegetables. We had them on the table every meal as a boy. The problem was that my parents were terrible cooks. A fair amount of what we had came out of cans (and not the most expensive brands). My mother and father were both fond of high-fat diets (they exercised), so a couple cans of blanched peas in brine, heated and smothered with mayonnaise were popular. (The only spices on the table were salt and pepper.) Trouble is, as a child, I never got used to selecting, buying, cooking and tasting good vegetables. Cost, for me was not an issue. It was my parent's eating and cooking habits.