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Year 2000 Dietary Guidelines: Hopefully by now you are all aware of the nutrition slogan "Strive for Five - Eat Five Fruits and Vegetables daily. Ten years ago, random telephone interviews resulted in only 8% of Americans being aware of this nutritional goal. Today, with the help of supermarkets and the media, over 30% of Americans are aware of the goal. But just because more people are aware of this goal does not necessarily mean that more people are achieving the goal. In fact, a recent analysis of the American diet shows when and how often we are missing opportunities to eat the recommended five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Among adults ages 18-50, we are more than twice as likely to start the day with coffee than with fruit or vegetable juice. At lunch, we are 10 times as likely to select a carbonated soft drink than juice. For snacks, 90% of Americans are snackers and we snack an average of twice a day. Unfortunately, fruits and vegetables are the snack of choice only 10% of the time. We are four times more likely to pick a processed snack than a fruit or vegetable. Looking at the top eight snacks, vegetables come in last and fruits fourth place. The study confirmed that the average American's annual fruit and vegetable deficit is serious. Most of us have an annual fruit and vegetable deficit ranging from 219 to 1,629 servings a year...that's per person! You can get your 5 A Day in many ways because fruits and vegetables come fresh, frozen, canned, dried, and as 100% juice. More is better when it comes to fruits and vegetables. Eating 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables is the simple "5 A Day" message, and a smart strategy for better health Quick & Easy Ways to Get 5 a Day With the growing frequency of skipped breakfasts, vending machine lunches and frozen dinner, eating healthfully in America is a common dilemma of the year 2000 as more and more people are on the go. The following tips may help you improve your diet:
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