Americans Still Don't Eat Vegetables

Several recent studies paint a grim picture of Americans’ eating habits. Apparently, we still refuse to eat our vegetables. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a study this month that says only 26 percent of American adults eat vegetables three or more times a day. According to the “Eating Patterns in America” report released this week by a market research company, only 23 percent of meals include a vegetable—and that’s including lettuce on a hamburger. And it’s getting worse: In 1994, 22 percent of dinners prepared at home included a salad; today, only 17 percent do. Vegetables are catching on in some subgroups. Sotheby’s had bidders paying $1,000 per heirloom squash Thursday night, and, on the other end of the economic spectrum, an increasing number of farmers markets are accepting food stamps. The baby-carrot industry is trying to horn in on the junk food business, marketing its vegetables in heavy-metal-scored commercials and an iPhone game. Alas, one marketing analyst admits that “Eating vegetables is a lot less fun than eating flavor-blasted Doritos. You will always have to fight that.”