The average American falls well short of the daily consumption of fruits and vegetables that are recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as the American Heart Association. That optimal level is five servings per day, three of fruit and two of vegetables. Unfortunately, data published by the CDC in 2021 indicates that only 7.4 percent of all Americans actually achieve that goal on a regular basis. Vermont residents had the highest percentage of meeting that goal, at nearly 13 percent, and Oklahomans the lowest share, at 3.8 percent.
Numerous studies have shown that poor eating habits on the part of most Americans in recent decades has been a major contributing factor to the surge in non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and cardio-vascular problems, although it is not the sole cause. According to data reported by the CDC, the total prevalence of diabetes among adults (18 years of age or older) in the United States rose from about 10 percent in the early part of the 21st Century to about 13 percent in recent years. Data show that various chronic conditions account for seven out of ten deaths among American adults, including heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes.
The emergence of the so-called Make American Healthy Again (MAHA) movement in the last few years is at least in part attributable to widespread public concern about these trends, which are not found to this degree in other developed countries such as those in Western Europe. Leaving aside the anti-vaccine component of the MAHA agenda, which I strongly disagree with, their other main focus on improving the quality of American diets and to not eat so much ‘ultra-processed’ foods (UPF’s)–a phrase I never heard until a few years ago–is laudable.
However, the public rhetoric of MAHA ‘influencers’ in general has sought to bring in the federal government, especially in the person of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy Jr., on the side of discouraging consumption of these UPF’s, although as of yet there is no official definition of what products qualify as this type of food. Reportedly, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is in the process of drafting a legal definition of UPF’s with an eye toward imposing labeling requirements on these products, although any government regulation in this area is likely to be challenged in federal court.
I would like to see at least some of the energy and enthusiasm of the MAHA crowd directed at encouraging Americans on what they should be eating more or, rather than their current approach of implicitly shaming people for eating less healthy foods. Highly ranked in that category would be foods that contain significant amounts of antioxidants, such as Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and beta carotene. Foods that are rich in antioxidants include berries, dark chocolate, leafy greens such as kale and spinach, walnuts, pecans, and sunflowerseeds, and certain spices such as cinnamon, clove, and rosemary. Certain beverages, such as green tea, macha, coffee, and red wine, also contain certain antioxidants, such as flavonoids and catechins.
These substances, when ingested, neutralize free radical molecules in human beings, protecting the body from oxidative stress, which can otherwise foster the types of chronic, non-communicable diseases that were discussed earlier, such as heart, disease and type 2 diabetes as well as neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
Increasing Americans’ consumption of a range of berry varieties would both reduce the typical shortfall in our daily consumption of fruits and vegetables, as described earlier in this blog, while providing additional health benefits as described above. Despite this win-win from consuming berries, only one berry type, strawberries, actually ranks in the top ten of per capita consumption of fruit in the United States as of 2023, according to data published by USDA’s Economic Research Service. At that time, the estimated per capita consumption of strawberries in the United States was about eight pounds, less than one-third of the number one fruit on the list, which was bananas. Total consumption of all berries is believed to be 16 pounds per year, which includes blueberries, blackberries, and black and red raspberries, in addition to strawberries.
For American consumers, access to berries of all types has increased in recent decades due to being available year-round through the flow of imports, rather than only during the summer when such crops are grown and harvested in the United States in the open air. Today, except for strawberries, the majority of berries consumed in the United States are imported, with the share as high as 90 percent for raspberries, primarily from Mexico.
In addition to the well-known types of berries listed above, there are some relatively new varieties of berries which have started to fill the plates and bowls of Americans in recent decades. These include acai berries, which are actually the fruit of a specific type of palm tree (Euterpe oleracea), and elderberries, which are grown on bushes. Both have become more popular recently due to a booming market in plant-based health remedies–these two berry varieties are particularly potent antioxidants.
Acai palms grow primarily in tropical rainforests in South and Central America, although the climates of Hawaii and South Florida are hot and humid enough for this tree to thrive. Nearly all of the acai consumed in the United States is imported, primarily from Brazil. It is almost entirely consumed in a processed form such as freeze-dried or frozen pulp, because the fruit itself begins to spoil within 24 hours of being harvested.
Elderberry fruit and elderberry products have long been popular in Europe, while the current U.S. consumption rate of this fruit is now nearly six times higher than it was a scant decade ago. U.S. production of this crop has grown as well, more than doubling to nearly 1,700 acres over that same period, grown primarily in Midwest states such as Missouri and Wisconsin. The crop generates net revenue of about $1,500 per acre, so even small acreages can be fairly profitable.
