The CDC released a report earlier this week with disheartening news -

No U.S. state is meeting national objectives for consumption of fruits and vegetables, according to the first report to provide state–by–state data about fruit and vegetable consumption and policies that may help Americans eat more fruits and vegetables.

only 33 percent of adults meet the recommendation for fruit consumption and 27 percent get the recommended servings of vegetables.

Children and teens are doing even worse. Here’s what a 2007 survey of 100,000 high schoolers found:

32 percent report eating at least two servings of fruit daily and 13 percent say they eat at least three servings of vegetables each day.

This works out to only 1 in 10 teens getting enough fruits and vegetables in their diet. And we’re surprised that there’s an obesity epidemic going on?

What you need to know:

There are several reasons we’re not getting enough of these vitamin powerhouses:

1. In many cases its cheaper to buy a processed snack than a fruit.

2. It is also more convenient to pack a processed snack in a lunch bag than a fruit (try to see what a pear in a kids backpack looks like by lunchtime…)

3. School vending machines offer processed snacks, not carrots and apples.

4. Seen any TV and billboard ads for fruits and vegetables lately?

5. Sweet and Savory snacks are much tastier for many kids (and adults).

6. It takes time to prepare a fruit (peel an orange) or vegetable (bake a zucchini) for consumption. Much easier to rip open a box/bag and start munching.

What to do at the supermarket:

It’s true that in some case fruits and vegetables can be expensive compared to highly processed junk. Here are some suggestions:

1. Buy seasonal. Fruits and vegetables in season are usually cheaper.

2. Buy frozen. Frozen veggies maintain almost all the nutritional value as fresh ones.

3. Buy canned. but watch out for the high sodium content some canned vegs carry and the high sugar content of syrupy fruit.

4. Expand your horizons. Buy some cheaper vegetables you haven’t tried yet. Beet carpaccio, anyone?

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