Duh! Eat more fruits and veges!

http://www.lef.org/news



http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=5424&Section=NUTRITION



Eat eat eat! Fruit and veggies!: Don't hold back now. Dig in, all you want and then some. A new campaign gives veggies and fruits a nonstop green light

The Philadelphia Inquirer

05-31-07

May 31--They are colorful, healthful and wonderfully plentiful at this time of year, yet somehow fruits and vegetables hold no appeal for an alarming number of Americans.

More worrisome still: Americans may actually be eating fewer vegetables than they did 20 years ago, according to new research, even as health advocates trumpet the disease-fighting prowess of such produce-section stalwarts as yams and broccoli.

The federal Centers for Disease Control, in partnership with the nonprofit Produce for Better Health Foundation in Wilmington, is rolling out a nationwide healthy-eating initiative with an upbeat theme, and a lively logo and Web site. The message is simple: Eat more!

More chard and chickpeas, more beans and berries, more salsa, more salad.

"It's not 'Don't eat this, don't eat that,' it's 'Eat!' " said Mary Kay Solera, health education specialist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

"Fruits and Veggies -- More Matters," as the campaign is called, was based in part on input from consumers about the kind of message they'd be likely to heed.

"People know fruits and vegetables are good for them, but they don't want to be preached to, and they don't want to be made to feel guilty," said Elizabeth Pivonka, president and chief executive officer of Produce for Better Health.

More Matters is designed to appeal to a wide audience, taking into account varying tastes, budgets and lifestyles.

"Everything counts: fresh, frozen, canned, dried and 100 percent juice," said Pivonka, a registered dietitian. "We say, get it in any form that you can."

Tomatoes on burgers, raisins in lunch pails, frozen corn and canned black beans stirred into the ground meat on taco night. Every little bit helps.

"The goal is to move consumption up," Pivonka said.

Tweet