Americans don’t eat enough fruit and vegetables, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC advises adults to eat between one-and-a-half to two cups of fruit each day, along with two to three cups of vegetables. Yet a 2013 CDC telephone survey analyzing eating habits revealed that fewer than 20 percent of adults in the US are consuming these recommended servings. Focusing on these healthy foods may help combat obesity, the agency wrote in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Currently, more than one-third of American adults are obese, according to the latest study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Since eating more fruits and vegetables may help combat this trend, the CDC is recommending that new efforts be put in place to both increase demand and consumption of these foods. The agency says that fruits and vegetables need more competitive pricing, as well as better placement and promotion throughout schools and communities.

Only 6 percent met the daily vegetable recommendations in Mississippi