Health

Who Eats Their Vegetables? New Graphic Shows Healthiest States

September 29th 2015

Experts say that you need around seven servings of fruits and vegetables per day to be in good health, but a lot of people only consume one of each per day.

Using data from the State of Obesity, Dadaviz crunched the numbers on which states are most likely to eat fruits and vegetables more than once a day. As it turns out, there are some states that do a better job eating healthy:

Which states consume fruits and vegetables at least once a dayDadaviz - dadaviz.com

As shown in the image, Oregon and California are eating the most vegetables, with 84.7 percent and 83.5 percent eating vegetables more than once a day, respectively. California, Oregon, and Vermont best the other states in daily fruit consumption.

The image also illustrates that people are more likely to eat vegetables more than once a day, but that they're not as diligent about consuming fruit more than once a day. Less than half of the people in Oklahoma and Mississippi, for example, consume fruit more than once a day.

For most states, around 60 to 69 percent of residents consume fruit more than once a day. The State of Obesity found that nearly 40 percent of adults eat fruit less than once a day, and 22.6 percent of adults eat vegetables less than once a day. 

Last year, the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health reported that consuming seven or more fruits and vegetables per day lowered risk of death by 42 percent in England. Fruits and vegetables, which are often high in fiber, can also play a significant role in weight management, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Other research has shown that a diet high in vegetables and fruit can lower one's risk of developing heart disease and a stroke. A report from the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research found that non-starchy vegetables, like leafy greens, are likely to prevent certain types of cancer.

Nutritionist Rachel Beller, founder of the Beller Nutritional Institute, told the Huffington Post in 2011 that she recommends exceeding the American Institute for Cancer Research's recommendation of eating five servings of fruits and veggies a day.

"It's not about getting five a day, it's about getting at least five a day, as a minimum requirement," she said. "I encourage my patients to aim much higher and go for seven to 10 standard servings a day."

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