Key TakeawaysMost Americans don’t eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables every day.Getting your fruits and vegetables in your diet is important for your body and health.There are some simple ways to incorporate them into your daily routine.

Key Takeaways

Most Americans don’t eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables every day.Getting your fruits and vegetables in your diet is important for your body and health.There are some simple ways to incorporate them into your daily routine.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults eat 1.5 to 2 cup-equivalents of fruits and 2 to 3 cup-equivalents of vegetables every day.However, according to recent data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only about 10% of adults in the United States are meeting those recommendations.

The data, which was based on surveys from 2019, produced similar results as those from when American adults’ dietary intakes were analyzed in 2015.

Very Few People Met Fruit and Vegetable Recommendations

Using theBehavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System(BRFSS), the researchers randomly collected dietary data on American adults. There were more than 418,000 people in the system. Among them, the researchers decided that almost 295,000 responses met their criteria to be included in the analysis.

The researchers also took variables like location, gender, race, and socioeconomic status into account when they analyzed the data.

Here are some key findings from the report:

5 Daily Servings of Fruits and Veggies May Help You Live Longer: Study

Why Fruits and Vegetables Matter

Elise Compston, RD, LD, a registered dietitian and co-owner ofCompston Kitchen, told Verywell that research continues to show that eating more produce “is associated with a decreased risk of developing a number ofchronic conditions, lowers the rate of mortality, and may strengthen our immune system against illness.”

However, Compston also pointed out that many people encounterbarriers to eating enough fruits and vegetables. For example, supply chain issues, increasing costs of food, and perceptions that certain varieties of food (like canned versions) are not as good as other options can all act as barriers.

Study: Dried Fruit Can Fill Nutrition Gaps And Improve Diet Quality

Chrissy Carroll, MPH, RD, a registered dietitian and blogger atSnacking in Sneakers, told Verywell that “fruits and vegetables are a valuable source of vitamins, minerals,phytonutrients, and fiber—all of which are essential for promoting overall wellness and reducing the risk of chronic diseases.”

According to Carroll, nutrition experts often “see arguments about organic versus conventional produce, or local versus transported produce” but these arguments might not be as relevant when you consider that only one in 10 people are meeting the minimum recommendations for any fruit and vegetable intake.

Instead, Carroll said that the focus needs to shift from the nuances of nutrition to simply promoting all produce to everyone.

What This Means For YouYou should aim to eat 1.5 to 2 cup-equivalents of fruits and 2 to 3 cup-equivalents of vegetables every day.

What This Means For You

You should aim to eat 1.5 to 2 cup-equivalents of fruits and 2 to 3 cup-equivalents of vegetables every day.

Tips for Eating More Produce

While we may understand that including a variety of fruits and vegetables in our diets is beneficial for our health, many of us aren’t putting that knowledge into action.

That said, there are steps that you can take to increase your produce intake every day. Eating more fruits and vegetables can be simple and low-cost with some know-how and creativity.

Here are a few ways to get more produce in your diet:

Is the Pesticide Residue on Fruits and Veggies a Health Concern?

3 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.U.S. Department of Agriculture.Dietary guidelines for Americans.Lee SH, Moore LV, Park S, Harris DM, Blanck HM.Adults meeting fruit and vegetable intake recommendations — United States, 2019.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep.2022;71(1):1–9. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7101a1Center for Disease Control and Prevention.Only 1 in 10 Americans get enough fruits and vegetables.

3 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.U.S. Department of Agriculture.Dietary guidelines for Americans.Lee SH, Moore LV, Park S, Harris DM, Blanck HM.Adults meeting fruit and vegetable intake recommendations — United States, 2019.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep.2022;71(1):1–9. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7101a1Center for Disease Control and Prevention.Only 1 in 10 Americans get enough fruits and vegetables.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

U.S. Department of Agriculture.Dietary guidelines for Americans.Lee SH, Moore LV, Park S, Harris DM, Blanck HM.Adults meeting fruit and vegetable intake recommendations — United States, 2019.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep.2022;71(1):1–9. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7101a1Center for Disease Control and Prevention.Only 1 in 10 Americans get enough fruits and vegetables.

U.S. Department of Agriculture.Dietary guidelines for Americans.

Lee SH, Moore LV, Park S, Harris DM, Blanck HM.Adults meeting fruit and vegetable intake recommendations — United States, 2019.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep.2022;71(1):1–9. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7101a1

Center for Disease Control and Prevention.Only 1 in 10 Americans get enough fruits and vegetables.

Meet Our Medical Expert Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit

What is your feedback?