MOTHERS REPORT 97% OF FAMILIES DON’T CONSUME THE OPTIMUM FRUIT AND VEGETABLE LEVELS RECOMMENDED BY THE GOVERNMENT.

AUSTIN, Texas (October 5, 2007) – In an online survey of 300 mothers, just 3% say their families’ intake of fruits and vegetables achieves the upper levels recommended by the departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services. Only thirteen per cent of survey respondents consume more than five servings of fruit and vegetables each day. Three percent report that their families get no produce on a daily basis.

In numerous studies, fruit and vegetable intake is positively associated with lower incidents of many cancers; reduced risk of many chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes; and maintaining healthy weight. When asked if food affects cancer and diabetes, more than half of all respondents answered affirmatively.

“Getting kids to eat more fruits and vegetables is probably the number one issue in my classes,” says Kelly Corbet, Chief of Belief at Smart Foods Healthy Kids. “Luckily, it’s not that hard, especially if you get your kids to learn with you. Parents are usually very surprised.”

The study also highlighted that sixty-eight percent of survey-takers are at least somewhat confused by all the “different health information” available, with fifty-one percent responding that they get their information “here and there, but nowhere specific.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
• The current generation of children will not live as long as their parents, unless something changes.
• Children born after 2000 have a one-in-three chance of developing diabetes if they are Caucasian, and a FIFTY-FIFTY chance if they are Hispanic or African American.
• Six to eleven-year-olds who are overweight increased from 6.5% to 18.8% in less than three decades.

“We parents need to improve our household diets, so our kids don’t develop cancer, diabetes, obesity, or any disease that is potentially avoidable. We already have a ‘magic pill:’ it’s in the produce section,” says Corbet.

Contact: Kelly Corbet
Phone: (512) 732-2631
Email: kelly@smartfoodshealthykids.com
Website: www.smartfoodshealthykids.com

About Smart Foods Healthy Kids (www.smartfoodshealthykids.com)
Smart Foods Healthy Kids is devoted to helping moms create healthier families through “edutaining” online classes, delicious, kid-tested recipes, and instructive articles…and LOTS of fruits and vegetables! Our goal is to improve the diets—and therefore health—of children. As many as possible, as quickly as possible: there’s no time to lose.

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