Aug. 24, 2004 -- Most Americans still aren't eating enough fruits andvegetables, despite the highly publicized "five a day" recommendations,a new survey shows.

In fact, the survey shows most Americans aren't sure how many servings perday of fruits and vegetables they need for a healthy diet. Most major healthorganizations recommend eating five or more servings per day of fruits andvegetables to reap the maximum health benefits.

But researchers found 46% of Americans say they typically eat only one ortwo servings of fruits and vegetables per day, and another 37% eat three tofour servings per day. A mere 12% of Americans said they eat the recommendedfive or more servings per day.

Fruits and Veggies Ignored

The survey showed that only about 40% of Americans recognized the need toeat five or more servings per day of fruits and vegetables, and a fifth saideating only one to two servings a day was fine.

Other findings include:

• Nearly half of households with small children aged 2-11 say the childreneat only one to two servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
• Most parents encourage their children to eat fruits and vegetables atmeals, but only 17% serve fruits and vegetables as snacks.
• Nearly three-fourths of adults say they would like to eat more fruits andvegetables as snacks.
• More than half of Americans say better prices may encourage them to eatmore fruits and vegetables.

The survey of more than 3,000 households nationwide was conducted inFebruary by A. C. Nielsen and commissioned by the Produce for Better HealthFoundation.