Celebrating National Fruits & Veggies Month

HAVE A PLANT!

Celebrate National Fruits & Veggies Month by adding a plant to 1-2 meals a day

Hot dogs. Burgers. Pizza. Ice cream. The vegan alternatives to popular food favorites are not just on the rise, they’re here! In fact, meat and dairy alternatives are popping up everywhere from grocery stores to popular fast food restaurants.

While the explosion of vegan options is certainly one to celebrate, some of us may find that our excitement over trying the latest and greatest vegan products has put our vegetable and fruit intake on the back burner. If you’ve noticed a decline in the amounts of plants you eat, you’re not alone. Recent studies have shown that a majority of Americans do not meet the recommended intake of fruits and vegetables.

With September being National Fruits & Veggies Month (NFVM), we spoke with Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) about NFVM, their Have A Plant® Pledge, and how to sneak more fruits and veggies into your diet.

What is National Fruits & Veggies Month?

PBH: National Fruits & Veggies Month (NFVM) is a month-long celebration of everyone’s favorite plants – fruits and veggies! NFVM was created to elevate fruit and veggie consumption behaviors as a national priority to raise awareness about all the benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables every single day for both health and happiness.

Why September? Is there a reason behind choosing this particular month to promote the importance of eating fruits and vegetables?

PBH: Many produce industry stakeholders and consumer-facing influencers have enthusiastically promoted fruits and vegetables in September as a part of historic Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) campaigns, like 5-A-Day and Fruits and Veggies— More Matters. In 2019, PBH launched NFVM to elevate new fruit and

vegetable consumption behaviors as a national priority in conjunction with the Have A Plant® Movement.

Why is NFVM important?

PBH: Fruit and vegetable intake habits continue to erode in a way that puts public health in jeopardy. Overall fruit and vegetable consumption frequency has fallen by nearly 10% since 2004 and by 3% since 2015, according to PBH’s recent State Of The Plate

research report.

While fruit has experienced some gains, vegetable and juice have both experienced double-digit losses. Some of the heaviest consumers are leading the way in decreases, and our youngest consumers are of particular concern. On average, Americans are eating fruits and vegetables one time, or less, each per day, which is very concerning to us. Clearly, our fruit and veggie habits are going in the wrong direction and so we must act now! At PBH we call this the consumption crisis.

Do you have any tips or tricks for those struggling to add plants and veggies to their meals?

PBH: Absolutely. One tip is to think about how many times you eat per day and work fruits and/ or veggies into just 1-2 of those times.

There’s no wrong way to Have A Plant®! Fresh is great, for sure, but it’s not the only way to eat fruits and vegetables. Add dried fruit to oatmeal at breakfast, throw frozen berries in with your yogurt for a snack, add canned vegetables to salads, or enjoy some pickled vegetables.

It’s also important to remember that everyone is different and what works for one might not work best for another. The first step is trial and error to figure out what ways work for you and go from there.

How can people get involved with NFVM and the Have A Plant® Movement?

PBH: We invite everyone to simply add one fruit and/or veggie to their daily routine. Have A Plant® at every meal or snacking occasion for better health and happiness. People can make it official by taking the Have A Plant® Pledge.

People can also get involved on social media by sharing the fun and delicious ways they enjoy fruits and veggies. Don’t forget to use the hashtags #haveaplant and #NFVM2021!

At the end of the day, we just want more people to eat more fruits and vegetables – the plants that people aren’t getting enough of. And what better time than during National Fruits & Veggies Month to start incorporating more into your daily routine. So here’s a plan: Have A Plant®! For more information visit www.fruitsandveggies.org.