Only 8% of Americans Eat Enough Fruits (Veggies – Even Worse)

Another tip to get kids eating their fruits and veggies is to pack one raw fruit and one raw veggie in their lunches every day for snacks or as part of the meal. That way they’ve had at least one veg and one fruit while they are out at school (you hope). I use whole bananas, apples, pears, grapes and oranges as well as cutting up mango or melon and putting it in a container. Veggie sticks are easy to pack – peppers, carrots, cucumbers, mushrooms or celery.

And I want to share a link that I love. Here in Canada, broccoli does have its own marketing campaign at http://themiraclefood.ca. There was a print and television ad campaign that went along with it. Wouldn’t it be great if every fruit and vegetable had one too?

“Since there is no processing to be done, fruits and veggies are commodities. They cannot be branded. And if you can’t brand something, how can you market it? Comparing the marketing budget of even a medium sized food company to that of government and non-profit organizations pushing produce is an exercise in futility. When was the last time you saw a commercial for kale? An orange (not OJ)?”

Let’s be fair… some fresh produce IS branded and marketed in the US, like bananas, pomegranates (some of the print ads do mention the fruit, not just the juice), leafy greens (bagged salads may be “processed”, but they have increased consumption of fresh veggies for busy families), baby carrots (I’ve seen print ads for 2 major brands; again, “processed”, but a convenience for which consumption is up), and cranberries (print ads this time of year). In the summer, I’ve seen print ads for branded straw/blue/black/raspberries.

I think that a large number of people allow cost to decide what to eat. So the answer is to make the healthy food cost less then the unhealthy foods. How? TAX THEM. people who smoke pay more because they are likely the ones to get lung cancer. the people that eat crap are the ones who will need the medical care that comes with being overweight. If that causes soda, candy, chips, processed foods, etc…to be rethought at the grocery store or gas station then GOOD. let us grab the apple, the banana or carrot sticks instead.

Many people believe that the fruits and vegies will drive up their grocery bill, well it might if you buy all the other processed foods and junk too. My husband is foreign and it never fails he never fails to amaze me when he does the grocery shopping. Bags and bags of frest fruit and vegetables, very few if any boxes of anything. His shopping saves us money, we spend the money on fresh, meat, eggs, cheese, bread, fruits and vegies. Not boxes of mac and cheese, cans of ravioli, canned chilis, micro-waved pizza pockests and junk like that. A juice box is for the lunch box. Its orange juice for breaksfast, a juice box at lunch alongwith a bottle of water. Its water, milk, de-caf iced tea, hot tea for them at home, and an occasional ginger ale. Me, I am American born and bred an still have the habit of overdoing the boxes of stuff (cookies, crackers, chips, etc.) We do use alot of canned diced tomatoes in our cooking, I buy them by the case. We make fresh salsa for the kids with 2 cans of chopped tomatoes, add onion, garlic, cilantro, a chopped jalepeno, fresh lime juice and a touch of red wine vinegar. No fat. They eat this with celery, cucumbers and tortilla chips or baked crackers. And the food is fresh and full of vegetables and fruit. My children eats salads take apples and carrots and celery in the lunch box, and ask for fruits as snacks. they are not babies they are 12 and 16. Shop the outside of the store. pass up the boxes of stuff that would really cost more pound for pound than fresh food. Use the frozen vegies and fruits, they are nutrious and healthy. I know my kids get their 5 fruits and vegies by lunch with their breakfast and lunch box from home. At snack time or in the evening have fruit,cut-up vegies, nuts (yep they crack their own or shell their own peanuts) popcorn or a home-baked dessert. Homemade brownies and cupcakes cost a fraction of the prepacked. Homemade muffins (even from a mix) are about 75% less than the package in the bakery section. Control the fat substitue 1/2 applesauce for 1/2 of the oil required. That leaves room for more afterschool, at dinner and the through the evening. You can afford to add the fruits and vegies if you substitute them for the usually far more expensive (portion wise) than the packaged stuff. Good eating.

I wish it was easier to separate the wheat from the chaff here. First, in terms of what we “should” eat – I’ve seen stats about 7-9 veggie servings a day, and only 4% eat that, and 80% meals have none. I wonder who knows what a serving is and remembers eating one? If I have spaghetti for dinner I don’t think I had a veggie serving, nor if I had fries, and my typical salad may actually count as 5 servings. I have been known to take a pound of frozen vegetables as a quick lunchtime serving (defrosts in the morning and reheats in microwave) along with some protein, so with that 5 servings, does it matter that breakfast didn’t have any veggies at all? Ditto with beans, potatos, a corn tortilla, salsa – technically all vegetables, but I don’t think about it as a serving.

The other thing is, I wish it was easier to find prepped veggies; unless your local caf has an affordable salad bar, the step up from processed to fresh is expensive in terms of prep time (or shopping time). I have found a few things – the frozen veggies have mixes with low-carb veggies, and I had a cup of butternut squash soup this morning from TJ’s which seems fairly “pure”. But too often, the prepped stuff has a lot of filler – cheap oils, low-nutrient carbs – and not much real vegetable. I got a grocery store “salad” which was 2 cups of romaine, a smattering of carrot, cuc (less than 2 oz total) plus olives, cheese, croutons. I’d have been better off buying a box of frozen cheesy vegetables.