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Study: Young adults can be motivated to eat fruits, veggies

Young adults can be motivated to eat more servings of fruits and vegetables if they are exposed to tailored, practical messages about nutrition, a University of Wisconsin-Madison nutritional scientist announced today (Feb. 20) at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Washington, D.C.

"Even though young adults are incredibly busy, they still want to know what they can do to improve their health," says Susan Nitzke, a professor at UW-Madison’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Nitzke is the lead investigator of a multistate collaborative project that aimed to improve fruit and vegetable consumption among economically disadvantaged young adults.

Newer guidelines for good health recommend eating nine or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day, but when the study began, the guidelines called for at least five servings, Nitzke says. However, even if you count French fries and pizza sauce, many people fall short of the more modest goal, let alone the new standards. And with obesity quickly becoming one of the biggest health problems in America and elsewhere in the world, the question of how to change behavior becomes critical, she says.

Susan Nitzke | EurekAlert!
Further information:
http://www.wisc.edu

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