According a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control, Americans aren’t eating close to enough fruits and vegetables. Today’s blog is about a product I take that helps me fill the gap when I don’t get enough in my diet. But first, here are a few stats from the report:
This report describes the results of that analysis, which indicated that, in 2009, an estimated 32.5% of adults consumed fruit two or more times per day and 26.3% consumed vegetables three or more times per day, far short of the national targets. Overall, the proportion of adults who met the fruit target declined slightly, but significantly, from 34.4% in 2000 to 32.5% in 2009
The CDC goal for two or more fruits is 75% and the goal for three or more is 50%. And by the way, ideally we’d be consuming at least five servings of fruits and veggies combined.
Okay, so here’s the deal – odds are if you’re reading this blog you’re probably more health conscious than the average American, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you, or your family, are eating five or more servings a day. I can say from personal experience that I, certain members of my family (the guilty will remain nameless) do not always eat the number of servings I they should. 
To fill the gap, I really like a product called Berry Green by New Chapter. It combines 20 organic fruits and vegetables into either a capsule or powder. I use the powder because it’s cheaper. Here’s my blog on Berry Green. Not only do I take it every day, but so do my wife and four year-old son. The taste is okay…I do it straight in water but it can also be mixed in apple juice, yogurt (it actually tastes kind of good in vanilla yogurt) or anything – the important thing is to take it.
There are two really important points about Berry Green that I want to underscore. First, it contains a huge variety of fruits and veggies, thus a variety of colors. This is very important, because much of the benefits plants give us are from these colorful chemicals. The second point is that it’s USDA organic. Given the recent President’s Cancer Panel findings and CDC report on the role of environmental toxins in our cancer risk, I want to make sure I’m eating as organic as possible.
While fresh locally-grown organic produce is almost always the best choice, Berry Green is a great option when you fall short.
–Michael Ventresca
