Most Americans don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables

Are you eating enough fruits and vegetables? We all know fruits and vegetables are important for good health, but a shocking percentage of Americans aren’t getting enough of these foods in their diet. In fact, roughly 90% of Americans don’t meet the daily recommendations for fruit and vegetable consumption, according to areport from the CDC. 

Fruit and vegetable recommendations

Recommendations for fruit and vegetable intake are outlined in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which is published every 5 years by the The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). These guidelines provide evidence-based dietary recommendations for Americans over the age of 2, in an effort topromote good health, prevent chronic disease, and help people reach and maintain a healthy weight. 

The most recent version, the2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, recommends that Americans consume more fruits and vegetables to help reduce the risk of lifestyle- and diet-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and some forms of cancer. 

Specifically, adults are advised to consume 5 cups of fruit and vegetables per day. Most Americans are getting half. 

Fruits and vegetables: how much are Americans actually eating? 

Using data from 2015, the CDC report found that only 12% of survey respondents met the recommendations for fruit consumption, and only 9% were eating the recommended amount of vegetables. The report also indicated the adults are eating fruit once per day and vegetables 1.7 times per day.

Fruit and vegetable consumption was lower among men, young adults, and individuals experiencing poverty. Adults close to or below the poverty level eat the fewest vegetables, while adults between the ages of 31-50 tend to eat more fruit, and adults over 50 tend to eat more vegetables.

These results indicate that most people could benefit from increasing the number of fruit and vegetable servings in their diet. 

Studies show that diets high in fruits and vegetables are associated with asignificantly reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. Andas noted by the CDC, “Eating more fruits and vegetables adds nutrients to diets, reduces the risk for heart disease, stroke, and some cancers, and helps manage body weight” when consumed in place of less healthy, high-calorie foods. 

Why are Americans eating so few fruits and vegetables? 

The reasons behind this low fruit and vegetable consumption are varied, and include a range of social and economic factors. For many people, fruits and vegetables are simply too expensive. Processed foods made with sugar, vegetable oils, and refined grains are more affordable.

Access to information also plays a large role. People with higher levels of education are more likely to choose healthier foods. Not to mention, foods like potato chips — with their combination of fat, salt, and sugar —are the perfect addictive food.

Our solution: Balance the Superfood Shot

We get it — maintaining a healthy diet can be difficult in our fast-paced, modern lives. We’re constantly rushed, stressed, and pressed for time. Eating more fruits and vegetables often requires advanced planning, since these foods often aren’t available when we’re searching for something quick and easy to eat during a lunch break or after a long day of work. 

Many fast-food restaurants and even convenience stores are offering more health-conscious options such as salads, but these options are still often less convenient than grabbing a sandwich or a burger. And many seemingly healthy beverages,such as fruit juice, are loaded with sugar, calories, and artificial ingredients. 

That’s why we created Balance the Superfood Shot. It’s an easy way to get half a day’s servings of fruits and vegetables in a convenient 2-ounce beverage that you can drink anywhere. 

Balance the Superfood Shot is available in 3 blends, all made with organic fruit, leafy greens, and superfoods. Each blend is vegan and free of all 8 major allergens: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, and soy. They’re formulated to contain everything you want from a healthy beverage and nothing you don’t. Balance the Superfood Shot contains half the calories and carbs of premium cold-pressed juice, as well as 5 times less sugar and double the nutritional value. They’re also free of artificial sweeteners, additives, colors and preservatives. And with 3 blends, we offer something for everyone. 

Our originalFoundation Blend is made with delicious organic pineapple, lemon, carrot, beet, cranberry, blueberry, cherry, spinach, kale, acai berry, camu camu, goji berry, elderberry and dragonfruit. It’s $5 worth of organic produce in each shot. Drink it daily to keep your fruit and vegetable intake on track. 

OurImmunity Blend is a two-ounce shot of antioxidants and vitamin C, and contains 1000% of your daily requirements of vitamin C. Made with organic elderberry, acerola cherry, orange, concord grape, carrot, beet, blueberry, pomegranate, spinach and broccoli, it offers sweet and tart flavor that makes it a hit with adults and kids alike. Drink it to help maintain a healthy immune system and keep everyone in the family feeling good.

You’re probably familiar with turmeric: it’s big in health circles due to its curcumin content. Curcumin is a bright yellow substance that gives turmeric its color, and it’s commonly used as a dietary supplement tohelp your both maintain a healthy immune response. Our Turmeric Blend contains 1500 mg organic turmeric, along with tart cherry, orange, papaya, ginger cinnamon and black pepper, which helps with turmeric and curcumin absorption. Drink it if you want to give your joints a little extra love.

Whether your busy schedule makes it hard for you to find healthy food, or you just don’t like vegetables, our mission is to make it easy to get your daily servings of organic fruits and vegetables and improve your health, one shot at a time.Order now and get Balance the Superfood Shot for as low as $2.99 per bottle!