State health department hopes to increase healthy foods in schools

The State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables, released Sept. 29 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, summarized for the first time data on fruit and vegetable consumption in Indiana as well as policies and consumption objectives for the state.

The report is one of many steps to boost the consumption of fruits and vegetables nationwide.

Healthy People 2010, a program managed by the CDC, outlines the national objectives for the consumption of fruits and vegetables as well as resources to help Americans reach these objectives.

The goal of Healthy People 2010 is to increase the number of Americans eating at least two fruits daily to 75 percent and three vegetables daily to 50 percent, said Laura Hormuth, nutrition coordinator for the Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity at the Indiana State Department of Health.

“Really all people need to eat more fruits and vegetables,” Hormuth said. “We’re way below the national goal.”

The State Indicator Report shows that Indiana, along with all other states, is not meeting the national objectives for fruit and vegetable consumption.

“When you look at people who are meeting both requirements, only 9 percent of 9th to 12th graders are getting two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables,” Hormuth said.

The Healthy People program is based on tenure goals and objectives set at a national level. Because so few Americans have reached the goals of Healthy People 2010, Healthy People 2020 will be based on newer dietary guidelines of 2005, Hormuth said.
Dietary guidelines are re-established every five years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to myPyramid.gov.

“The new one changed servings to cups,” Hormuth said. “There are new recommendations that vary by age and gender; but for most people it’s one to three cups of fruit and two to two and a half cups of vegetables.”

In 2008, Indiana received a grant from the CDC to address the issue of obesity, Hormuth said.

This money went to creating the Healthy Weight Initiative, a program promoting healthy eating and physical activity. The initiative will also evaluate a state plan for encouraging healthy weight and building and sustaining statewide capacity for promoting a healthy lifestyle, according to the Healthy Weight Initiative Web site.

“As years go on, kids go from being overweight to obese,” Hormuth said. “They have a hard time maintaining a healthy lifestyle and this Web site helps them come up with ideas that will help them stay healthy.”

The USDA tracked consumption of vegetables among different age groups and discovered that older people liked to prepare their food at home while most people in their 20s are not preparing their own food but eating out more, Hormuth said.

Ideas include healthier options at restaurants so children can get substantial servings of vegetables, Hormuth said.

“Children are probably getting a third of their meals at fast food restaurants, so we’re trying to get fruits and vegetables put on the menu,” Hormuth said.