More Americans Are Eating Fruit—But Fewer Are Eating Vegetables

In a new federal report, researchers say most U.S. adults are eating at least some fruits and vegetables every day, but plenty aren't.During 2021 to 2023, the most recent available data, about 70% of adults age 20 and older said that they ate any fruit or drank 100% fruit juice on a given day—leaving roughly 30% of American adults who reported not eating a single piece of fruit or drinking any fruit juice. 93% said they ate a vegetable. The data are collected by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) as part of an annual health and nutrition survey that includes 5,000 adults and children.The latest numbers are similar to the dietary patterns revealed by the previous survey conducted from 2015 to 2018, though fruit intake is slightly up while vegetable intake is down. In that survey, 67% of adults ate fruit on a given day, and 95% ate a vegetable.In the latest survey, more women than men consumed fruit on a given day (74% vs. 66%). About the same proportion of women and men ate vegetables, but the type differed; while 42% of women reported eating a dark-green vegetable, only 34% of men did. Dark-green vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals that can help the heart, br...