Survey: American Meals Don’t Grow on Trees
Coffee is twice as likely as fruit to be on the breakfast menu of Americans, despite a concerted public health effort to increase consumption of fruits and vegetables, according to a new food survey.
The survey, conducted in 2,000 randomly selected households by MRCA Information Services and released last month, found that only 10% of the foods eaten at breakfast are fruits, vegetables or juices.
Nor do Americans eat much more fruit or vegetables during the rest of the day. The survey found participants had an average consumption of three servings a day of fruits and vegetables--two servings short of the recommended amount.
When it comes to quenching thirst, carbonated soft drinks are 10 times more likely to be the beverage of choice than 100% juice, according to the survey, which also found that Americans love to snack. Ninety percent of those polled reported snacking at least once within a two-week period. Those who snacked regularly reported doing so twice a day.
While fruits might seem an obvious choice for a healthful snack, only 15% of those polled said that they nibbled on fruit. Vegetables fared even worse: They made up only 3% of snacks. The survey found that far more popular snack foods were sweets such as cookies, cakes and candy bars, and salty snacks, including potato chips, pretzels or crackers.
Vegetables move toward center stage at dinner, according to the survey. More than 75% of the vegetables consumed daily are eaten at the nightly meal. But viewed in a broader context, even that number falls short. Vegetables and fruit together make up less than a third of the nightly menu.
Based on results of the survey, the American Heart Assn., the American Assn. for the Advancement of Retired Persons, the American Cancer Society, the American Diabetes Assn., the American Institute for Cancer Research and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America teamed up in February to renew the public health message urging all people to consume at least five servings a day of fruits and vegetables.
