Recommended Vegetable Intake for Teens
Only 2% of high school students are eating enough veggies.
According to an analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 2% of high school students in the U.S. are meeting the recommended vegetable intake (2.5–3 cups per day). Intake was low across the board (among boys and girls and white, Black and Hispanic teens).
In more findings that may ring true to parents, just 7.1% of the 13,354 high school students in 33 states involved in the Youth Risk Behavior Surveys were eating the recommended servings of fruit in 2017, down from 8.5% in 2013. The findings aren’t necessarily surprising, but they are certainly discouraging as health organizations and parents keep struggling to find effective ways to get teens to eat better.
Matthew Kadey, MS, RD
Matthew Kadey, MS, RD, is a James Beard Award–winning food journalist, dietitian and author of the cookbook Rocket Fuel: Power-Packed Food for Sport + Adventure (VeloPress 2016). He has written for dozens of magazines, including Runner’s World, Men’s Health, Shape, Men’s Fitness and Muscle and Fitness.
