We're still too low on fruit, vegetable consumption

The Produce for Better Health Foundation recently released a report that shows:

?Children ages 6 to 12 consume an average of 1.43 cups of fruits and vegetables a day. Recommended: 2? to 4? cups. The amount they should eat depends on their daily caloric needs.

?Teens consume about 1.76 cups and adults 1.81 cups of produce daily. Recommended: 4 to 6 cups, depending on calorie needs.

The data are from the NPD Group, a market- research firm.

Although some people are eating slightly more produce than they did five years ago, it's still far below the recommendations, says Elizabeth Pivonka, president of the Produce for Better Health Foundation. "I don't think people fully understand how good fruits and vegetables are for them."

Diets rich in fruits and vegetables lower the risk of many types of cancer, stroke, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases.

Other findings in the produce report: Only 3% of all fruits and 15% of all vegetables are consumed by people when they go to restaurants.

However, in a survey of 1,000 moms, the mothers of young children say it's easier to find fruits and vegetables when they are eating out than it used to be, probably because apple slices are on the menus of many fast-food restaurants, Pivonka says.