Fruit and Vegetable Consumption - Women

Fruit and Vegetable Consumption - Women in United States

United States

Diets high in fruits and vegetables reduce the risk of many chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease and stroke. Consuming fruits and vegetables three or more times per day lowers overall mortality risk. Roughly half of all adults in the United States suffer from one or more preventable chronic diseases related to poor diet and physical inactivity. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults consume two cups of fruits and two and a half cups of vegetables per day. 

Consumption of vegetables and fruits during pregnancy may help women get essential nutrients such as vitamin A, potassium and folic acid.

Barriers to regular consumption of fruits and vegetables include cost, perceived lack of preparation time, lack of cooking knowledge and lack of access to fresh produce. In addition, some Americans live in areas known as food deserts, where access to healthy foods is limited.

Populations of women who are more likely to consume fruits and vegetables include:

• Women ages 35-44 compared with those ages 18-24.
• Asian and Hawaiian/Pacific Islander women compared with Hispanic women.  
• College graduates compared with high school graduates and those with less than a high school education.
• Women with an annual household income of $75,000 or more compared with those with incomes less than $50,000.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers strategies for states and communities to improve access to fruits and vegetables, including:

• Adopting policies to ensure access to fruits and vegetables in workplace cafeterias. 
• Encouraging farm-to-institution programs in schools, hospitals, workplaces and childcare centers. 
• Improving access to stores and markets that sell fruits and vegetables. States with a higher density of healthy food retailers, farmers markets and acceptance of nutrition-assistance program benefits by farmers markets report higher consumption of fruits and vegetables. 

Funding is available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for populations that qualify as food deserts to establish healthy retail outlets. The USDA provides an interactive tool to identify food deserts at the census tract level, as well as resources for improving your diet.

Healthy People 2030 has objectives to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables among people ages two and older.

Bazzano, Lydia A., Jiang He, Lorraine G. Ogden, Catherine M. Loria, Suma Vupputuri, Leann Myers, and Paul K. Whelton. “Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in US Adults: The First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiologic Follow-up Study.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 76, no. 1 (July 1, 2002): 93–99. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/76.1.93.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables, 2018.” Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2018. https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/downloads/fruits-vegetables/2018/2018-fruit-vegetable-report-508.pdf.

———. “Strategies to Prevent Obesity and Other Chronic Diseases: The CDC Guide to Strategies to Increase the Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables.” Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2011. https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/21639.

Dutko, Paula, Michele Ver Ploeg, and Tracey Farrigan. “Characteristics and Influential Factors of Food Deserts.” Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, August 2012. https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/45014/30940_err140.pdf.

Lee-Kwan, Seung Hee, Latetia V. Moore, Heidi M. Blanck, Diane M. Harris, and Deb Galuska. “Disparities in State-Specific Adult Fruit and Vegetable Consumption — United States, 2015.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 66, no. 45 (November 17, 2017): 1241–47. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6645a1.

Singleton, Chelsea R, Sydney Fouché, Rucha Deshpande, Angela Odoms-Young, Corey Chatman, and Connie Spreen. “Barriers to Fruit and Vegetable Consumption among Farmers’ Market Incentive Programme Users in Illinois, USA.” Public Health Nutrition 21, no. 7 (February 19, 2018): 1345–49. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980018000101.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and U.S. Department of Agriculture. “2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.” Washington, D.C., December 2020. https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2020-12/Dietary_Guidelines_for_Americans_2020-2025.pdf.

Yeh, Ming-Chin, Scott B. Ickes, Lisa M. Lowenstein, Kerem Shuval, Alice S. Ammerman, Rosanne Farris, and David L. Katz. “Understanding Barriers and Facilitators of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption among a Diverse Multi-Ethnic Population in the USA.” Health Promotion International 23, no. 1 (March 1, 2008): 42–51. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/dam044.