Few New Jersey Adults Are Eating Enough Fruits & Veggies

Few American adults meet fruit, vegetable intake guidelines and  fewer New Jerseyans are eating enough.

Researchers surveyed adults in all 50 states and the District of Columbia about their diets.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,  just 15% of adults eat enough fruits daily to meet federal recommendations.

In New Jersey, only 13.5% of people consumed the daily recommended amount of vegetables and just 8.3% of people ate the proper amount of fruits.

Overall, in 2013, half of respondents consumed fruit less than once per day and vegetables less than 1.7 times per day.

Researchers compared their responses to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommend that adults who get less than 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day should eat 1.5 to 2 cups of fruit and two to three cups of vegetables daily. More active people may be able to consume more without adding too many calories to their diet.

Overall, 13 percent of people in the U.S. reported eating enough fruit and 8.9 percent reported eating enough vegetables to meet that recommendation.

Adults in California ate the most fruits and veggies with 17.7% meeting federal recommendations, and Tennessee ate the fewest with just 7.5%.