Americans Not Eating Enough Fruits and Veggies

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"The new CDC report indicates something we've long known, that fruits and vegetable intake is well below recommended levels," said Dr. David Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine.

This is regrettable, Katz said. "These two food categories have the greatest potential of all for promoting health and fighting disease," he said.

Katz thinks that the problem is made worse by the food choices available to most Americans.

"The problem is compounded by price incentives and disincentives that encourage people to eat highly processed foods," Katz said. "It may also be compounded by the popularity of low-carb diets that discourage people from eating fruit."

Katz thinks eating a healthful diet should be a national priority. "There needs to be an effort to find ways to get more people to eat fruits and vegetables and to convince them that it's important for health," he said.

More information

For more information on a healthful diet, visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.