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By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

If you’ve been around kids during mealtimes, you know that it’s often very hard to get them to eat their vegetables. But it’s not just kids that refuse to eat their veggies, there’s a good chance their parents refuse to eat them too.

According to a CDC report, only 9.3% of adults met their daily vegetable intake requirements, and only 12.2% met fruit requirements. Not getting enough fruits and vegetables in your daily diet can prove to be an issue, as registered dietician Kalyn True says that powerhouse for health, as they contain a variety of vitamins and minerals, which, when combined, do your body a lot of good.

In fact, there are a few specific areas in which your health could suffer from not getting enough fruits and vegetables in your diet.

Fiber intake decreases –

Fruits and vegetables are some of the best sources of dietary fiber, which is an essential nutrient for our health. Registered dietician Cara Harbstreet notes that consistently not getting enough fiber can really take a toll on gut health and subsequently overall health as well.

Risk of illness increases –

Disease risk for things such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke all go up, says registered dietician Jennifer Hernandez. This occurs because the immune system needs a constant and steady supply of vitamins and minerals to function optimally.

Lower Energy Levels –

The foods that we eat are what fuel us to get through our day and for all of our body’s functions to happen. But, in order for it to be able to convert food into energy, it has to have vitamins and minerals, which True notes that vegetables and fruits provide.

Weight Gain –

When you don’t consume enough veggies with each meal, you run the risk of consuming more high-calorie foods in their place, which can lead to weight gain. Vegetables are  filling, low-calorie foods that are also dense with vitamins and minerals, so they’re the perfect addition to each meal. Likewise, the same could be said about having fruit instead of desserts. Both are sweet, but fruits offer less calories and more nutrients.

So, it’s pretty clear that it’s just as important for adults to be eating their fruits and vegetables as it is for kids to! Try adding more to each meal by cooking them as a side or whipping up a veggie-filled salad! Arizona produces lots of vegetables and fruits, so we have lots of fresh, local produce at our fingertips!

For more health-related articles, healthy recipe ideas, or more information on Arizona-grown products, check out the Fill Your Plate website!