According to today's Boston Globe, less than 10% of American high school students get a sufficient amount of fruit and vegetables in their daily diet. This finding was based upon study conducted by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in 2007 where approximately 100,000 high school students across the nation were surveyed. The study found that only 13% of students get the recommended three servings of vegetables and only 32% get the recommended two servings of fruit. Less than one out of ten get enough of both combined.
It is almost as bad for the adult population, where the CDC found that only 27% got the recommended allowance of vegetables and 33% for fruit.
In an era where 1 out of 5 people in the Commonwealth are obese and over 17% of children aged 12 to 19 are obese (defined as having a BMI or body mass index over 30), I wonder if we're doing enough in our schools. Are we serving enough whole, non-processed foods in our cafeterias? Do we need to do more with our health/wellness curriculums to promote better eating.... even if that message isn't being lived in the home?
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