While most people have probably heard time and time again that eating your fruits and veggies is good for your health, the truth is, most Americans still aren't eating enough of them. In fact, a new study by the CDC reveals that only 12% of folks in the U.S. eat one and a half to two cups of fruit per day, which is the minimum daily fruit recommendations. What’s more, only 9% eat two to three cups of veggies, which is the minimum amount recommended.
Men, young adults and people living in poverty are most likely to not be eating the recomended amounts of their fruits and veggies. Overall, women are much better at getting in their fruit than men (15.1% vs 9.2%), while wealthy Americans are much better at eating their veggies than poor folks (11.4% vs. 7%).
The report also broke down veggie and fruit consumption by state, with folks in South Dakota and West Virginia severely lacking in their intake. Only 2.2% of those in South Dakota (between the ages of 18 and 30) eat the recommended amount of veggies, while 5.8% of West Virginians eat the required amount. As for who’s eating the most? That would be the folks in Alaska, where 12% of people are likely to be eating the recommended amount of veggies, which is still pretty low.