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The Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched a new campaign today. They're the ones responsible for the campaign that no one seems to care about---the 5-A-Day campaign. Not that I think having loads of fruits and veggies are a bad idea. They're great tasting and with fantastic health benefits, just take a look at my Wonder Fruits investigation and Wonder Vegetables Investigation. The problem is these government messages miss the point. Well, I have some semi-good news--they've just launched a new campaign: Fruits & Veggies - More Matters. Is it great? No, but it is certainly a better than 5-A-Day.
I just think we could come up with better public health campaigns – more engaging and entertaining. Has anyone seen the movie Thank You For Smoking? Of course it’s a satire--and just a movie--but it sheds light on a few concepts. It shows about how big tobacco has influenced our society to smoke, and to keep smoking. Why can’t we use some of those same efforts to get our society to start eating fruit and vegetables. Maybe have celebs start making fruit and vegetables "cool" in movies. I bet, back-in-the-day, the mere fact that Popeye ate spinach to have super human powers really helped to get people (especially kids) to eat it. Think about Brad Pitt eating an apple right after he has sex with Catherine Zeta Jones. Now maybe that would have an impact. All I know is that what we're currently doing is not working so well. Anyway, take a look below for more information about the new program and check out the web site. It has some interesting information like how many fruits and vegetables are in one cup (the common measurement in calorie guides).
Fruits & Veggies - More Matters, the Next Generation '5 A Day'
New Public Health Initiative Launched by Produce for Better Health Foundation and CDC
SAN FRANCISCO, March 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- To encourage Americans to eat more fruits and vegetables, the Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today unveiled a new public health initiative, Fruits & Veggies - More Matters(TM), the next generation of the 15-year-old "5 A Day for Better Health" program. The initiative's launch coincided with the release of a new article in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine showing that most Americans do not eat enough fruits and vegetables.
The new Fruits and Veggies - More Matters brand was also developed to be consistent with the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommends various numbers of servings of fruits and vegetables depending on an individual's calorie needs -- ranging from 4 to 13 servings, or 2 to 6.5 cups, per day.
"Fruits & Veggies - More Matters is a new call for a healthier America that is inspiring, attainable, and easy for people to understand," said Dr. Elizabeth Pivonka, PBH president and CEO. "The message is intentionally simple: Most people benefit from eating more fruits and vegetables every day." She added that all forms count: fresh, frozen, canned, dried, and 100-percent juice.
Dr. William Dietz, Director of CDC's Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, said that healthy diets rich in fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, and other chronic diseases and can also help people manage their weight. Yet, he noted more than 90 percent of both adults and children do not consume the amounts now recommended by the Dietary Guidelines. "Our mission is to change consumers' behavior over the long term and close this consumption gap," he said.
Also announced today was the Fruits & Veggies - More Matters interactive Web site, www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org, offering recipes, serving ideas, and shopping advice. It includes activities and tips for getting children involved and gives consumers the opportunity to share their own easy and fun serving ideas by submitting them online.
Highlighted on the new Web site is the Fruits & Veggies - More Matters Challenge, an 11-week contest invites families to submit a favorite recipe or preparation tip involving fruits and vegetables. Participants may win the opportunity for their family to learn easy, healthy cooking methods directly from an expert chef at The Culinary Institute of America.
According to Dr. Pivonka, consumers will soon start to see Fruits & Veggies - More Matters on packaging and in stores nationwide: 21,000 supermarkets and 170 companies are already licensed to participate. In addition, consumer outreach at both the state and local government levels will aim to help make healthy food choices the easy choices.
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Brenda J. Ponichtera is a registered dietitian and author of several award-winning cookbooks, all designed to prove that "healthful eating doesn't have to take a lot of time in the kitchen."
Dawn Jackson Blatner RD, LDN, is a 
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