U.S. teens hardly eating any produce

• Tweet

ATLANTA, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- U.S. teenage consumption of fruit and vegetables comes nowhere near the recommended four to five servings per day, health officials say.

A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta found in 2010, median U.S. teen consumption was 1.2 servings per day for both fruits and vegetables.

"In addition, about one in four U.S. high-school students consumed fruit less than once daily, and one in three consumed vegetables less than once daily," the report said.

"A diet high in fruit and vegetables is associated with a decreased risk for many chronic diseases and some cancers and can aid in weight management. Current daily fruit and vegetable recommendations for adolescents who participate in less than 30 minutes of physical activity daily are 1.5 cups of fruit and 2.5 cups of vegetables for females and 2 cups of fruit and 3 cups of vegetables for males -- 1 cup is approximately equal to one medium apple, eight strawberries, 12 baby carrots, or one large tomato."

To assess fruit and vegetable consumption among high school students, the CDC analyzed data from the 2010 National Youth Physical Activity and Nutrition Study.

Overall, 28.5 percent of U.S. high school students consumed fruit less than once daily, and 33.2 percent of high school students consumed vegetables less than once daily, the CDC report said.