We discovered a shocking report recently, one worth a share.
Only about 10% of Americans eat the daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables.
Let me explain. The average American is consuming just 40% of their daily servings of fruit, and 64% of their daily servings of vegetables as recommended (USDA). This amounts to only 0.8 cups of fruit, and 1.6 cups of vegetables, on average.
The reason why that stat is so shocking is because it has *major* implications for the health of our country.
Take this stat, from the Union of Concerned Scientists, for example:
"If Americans ate just one more serving of fruits or vegetables per day, this would save more than 30,000 lives and $5 billion in medical costs each year."
$5 billion! And more importantly, 30,000 lives! But the report doesn't stop there.
If we were to eat ALL of our daily recommended servings, "those numbers would go up to more than 127,000 lives and $17 billion saved."
😲
But how can this be, you ask?
Fruits and vegetables have amazing health benefits. But when we don't eat our servings, we devoid our body of the nutrition needed to maintain healthy digestion and overall well being.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States (American College of Cardiology), accounting for around 840,000 fatalities each year. Medical costs of treating heart disease and stroke were estimated at $94 billion in 2010, and this figure is projected to nearly triple by 2030.
By eating an additional serving each of fruits and vegetables, the value in reduced stroke and heart disease deaths is $2.7 trillion. This amount increases to an astounding $11.4 trillion if Americans were to eat fruits and vegetables according to dietary guidelines.
What's so good about eating fruits and vegetables?
We've heard it all before, from our parents, our doctors, nutritionists and more. Fruits and vegetables give your body the fiber it needs to stay healthy.
Fiber found in vegetables and fruits helps with digestion, weight loss, heart health, and cancer prevention (did you know fiber is only found in plant-based foods?). For all of these reasons, fiber can literally increase your lifespan.
Fiber helps us feel fuller for sustained energy, and aids in healthy digestion by ridding our system of toxins and excess hormones. There are two types: soluble and insoluble.
Soluble fiber controls cholesterol by soaking up waste cholesterol in the digestive tract like a sponge, expelling it from the body.
Insoluble fiber isn't digestible by the body, and instead acts like a broom sweeping out your digestive tract, keeping you regular 😉.
For optimal health, you should be getting about 40 grams of fiber per day (PCRM). Most people only get around 10-15 grams of fiber per day.
How many fruits and vegetables should I be eating in a day?
A serving is roughly 4-6 ounces of fruits or vegetables. For leafy greens, that's about a cup. For other vegetables, that's about a half cup. (based on a 2,000 calorie diet.) A half cup of vegetables contains about 4 grams of fiber.
Look, we know it can be really hard to eat your daily servings. Vegetables aren't always the most convenient food to eat, especially if you don't cook at home often. Not to mention, if you have picky kids!
That's why we created Pulp Chips - with 5g of fiber per serving, you could technically get a full day's serving of fiber in a bag of chips.
We're not suggesting you should do that... but when you're in a pinch, Pulp Chips can help you boost fiber with vegetable-based ingredients in a delicious, convenient snack.
Pulp Chips are made from kale and celery fiber - providing both soluble and insoluble fiber. We believe that eating more servings of vegetables and fiber should be easy, convenient, and delicious. And kid-approved.
No matter how you slice it, we should all be eating more servings of vegetables, fruits and fiber. The savings, as related to increased longevity, could reach a startling $11 trillion.
That's something worth *snacking* towards.
About Pulp Pantry:
Pulp Pantry crafts wholesome snacks made from sustainable, upcycled ingredients.
Our newly launched grain-free, tortilla-style Pulp Chips are made from organic upcycled vegetable fiber. Pulp is our signature ingredient: the fiber leftover after juicing organic, farm-grown vegetables. Paired with wholesome, simple ingredients like cassava, and superfoods like chia seeds, each bag of
Pulp Chips contains a full day's serving of good-for-your-gut fiber and prebiotics. All of our chef-crafted flavors are gluten-free, non-gmo and 100% plant-based.
Try a Variety Pack to taste all of our mouthwatering flavors.
