U.S. diets are out of balance with MyPlate recommendations

As you fill your Thanksgiving plate on Thursday, save room for the vegetable and fruit dishes. Although Americans are consuming more vegetables and fruit than in 1970, the average U.S. diet still falls short of USDA’s MyPlate recommendations for vegetables, fruit, and dairy products. Despite the average daily recommendation of 2.5 cups of vegetables, Americans consumed an average of 1.6 cups in 2011—63 percent of the recommended amount, but up from 59 percent in 1970. In 2011, U.S. consumers ate about half of the 3 cups of dairy products recommended, unchanged since 1970. Americans’ fruit consumption was the farthest below MyPlate guidance at 38 percent of the recommended 2 cups, increasing from 33 percent in 1970. On average, Americans, consumed more than the recommended amounts of meat and grains in 2011. This chart is from the Summary Findings in ERS’s data product, Food Availability (Per Capita) Data System.