Key TakeawaysA new study found that most people in the U.S. do not eat a diet that meets national dietary guidelines for preventing cancer.Overall, people needed to incorporate more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fiber into their diet.Experts recommend making small, manageable diet changes.

Key Takeaways

A new study found that most people in the U.S. do not eat a diet that meets national dietary guidelines for preventing cancer.Overall, people needed to incorporate more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fiber into their diet.Experts recommend making small, manageable diet changes.

The majority of Americans do not eat a diet that meets national dietary guidelines for preventing cancer, according to a new study.

The researchers found that about 70% of adults didn’t eat enough fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. The majority of participants didn’t get enough fiber in their diets.

The study, which was published in theJournal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, analyzed the self-reported eating habits of more than 30,000 American adults, along with their body mass index (BMI).

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The data used was from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which collects health information on a nationally representative sample of Americans each year. Researchers analyzed the diets of participants over a 24-hour time period.

Nearly 70% of the people included in the study were classified as overweight or obese, based on their BMI. The researchers found that adults in the obesity range were significantly less likely than others to meet recommended daily amount of fiber, fruit, non-starchy vegetables, and whole grains.

On average, people across all BMI classifications ate more added sugars than is recommended.

“The findings are not surprising at all,”Jessica Cording, MS, RD, dietitian and author of “The Little Book of Game-Changers,” tells Verywell. “It’s pretty well established that the standard American diet is not supportive of cancer risk reduction.”

Sonya Angelone, RDN, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, agrees. “It is unfortunate that the public is not getting the simple message to eat more fruits and vegetables and whole grains to decrease the risk for disease, including cancer,” she tells Verywell.

National Dietary Guidelines for Cancer Prevention

The guidelines suggest people should:

Why People Aren’t Meeting Cancer-Preventing Dietary Guidelines

The study didn’t explore why study participants weren’t eating as well as they should, but dietitians share a few theories.

“It is multifaceted,”Keri Gans, MS, RD, author of “The Small Change Diet,” tells Verywell. “Some people hardly cook at home. They order in or grab take-out and they just either don’t choose or find fruit, veggies, or whole grains as part of the offerings.”

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Eating produce and whole grains “takes planning since it is not usually included in overly processed, convenience foods,” Angelone says, adding, “these are the types of foods more people are eating because they are so readily available and inexpensive, for the most part.”

Fresh fruits and vegetables are perishable and need to be purchased frequently, she points out. “If these foods aren’t readily available in your kitchen, they won’t be included in the foods people are eating,” she says. With these perishable foods, “people either find them too expensive or are simply tired of wasting money on them because they may go bad quickly,” Gans says.

The standard American diet also “tends to be very high in added sugar and low in fruits and vegetables—that’s not very helpful,” Cording adds.

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There is also an issue with perception, Gans notes. Some people may also think they’re eating enough fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, but actually aren’t having enough.

What This Means For YouTaking an honest look at your diet and making tweaks where needed can help lower your cancer risk. Try to focus on making small changes first, like adding fruits and vegetables to each meal or snack.

What This Means For You

Taking an honest look at your diet and making tweaks where needed can help lower your cancer risk. Try to focus on making small changes first, like adding fruits and vegetables to each meal or snack.

How to Improve Your Diet

Dietitians have a slew of recommendations for eating cancer risk-reducing a diet:

How to ‘Personalize Your Plate’ During National Nutrition Month

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.Good M, Braun A, Taylor C, Spees C.US Adults Fall Short of the Dietary Guidelines for Cancer Prevention Regardless of BMI Category.J Acad Nutr Diet. 2021. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2021.02.013American Institute for Cancer Research.AICR Recommendations for Cancer Prevention.American Cancer Society.American Cancer Society Guideline for Diet and Physical Activity.

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.Good M, Braun A, Taylor C, Spees C.US Adults Fall Short of the Dietary Guidelines for Cancer Prevention Regardless of BMI Category.J Acad Nutr Diet. 2021. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2021.02.013American Institute for Cancer Research.AICR Recommendations for Cancer Prevention.American Cancer Society.American Cancer Society Guideline for Diet and Physical Activity.

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.

Good M, Braun A, Taylor C, Spees C.US Adults Fall Short of the Dietary Guidelines for Cancer Prevention Regardless of BMI Category.J Acad Nutr Diet. 2021. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2021.02.013American Institute for Cancer Research.AICR Recommendations for Cancer Prevention.American Cancer Society.American Cancer Society Guideline for Diet and Physical Activity.

Good M, Braun A, Taylor C, Spees C.US Adults Fall Short of the Dietary Guidelines for Cancer Prevention Regardless of BMI Category.J Acad Nutr Diet. 2021. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2021.02.013

American Institute for Cancer Research.AICR Recommendations for Cancer Prevention.

American Cancer Society.American Cancer Society Guideline for Diet and Physical Activity.

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