OUR OVEREATING SCOREBOARD

The 2005 USDA Food Guide Pyramid has increased the
recommended servings of fruits to 2-4 daily and vegetables to 3-5 daily, spearheading the change with their "5 a day" campaign and noting that we are particularly deficient in consumption of fruits.

Current food consumption estimates for Americans

* Only 10% eat even 5 daily servings of fruits and vegetables.

* Average fruit consumption is only 1.4 servings daily.

* Only 17% eat 2-4 fruits daily.

* Only 12% have what could be called a "good" diet.

Faculty members in the Harvard School of Public Health feel the revised government recommendations still fall short, are much too heavily influenced by powerful food lobby groups, and do not put into perspective the wealth of research conducted during the last ten years that has reshaped the definition of healthy eating. Their statement:

[If there's anything close to being "proved" in nutrition research, it's that eating lots of fruits and vegetables reduces the risk of heart disease, some types of cancer, and other chronic diseases. The
U.S. government's "5 a day" campaign makes five servings of fruits and vegetables look like a goal when it should actually be a lower limit.]