America's Nutrition Gap: Although 60% Of Americans Report They Eat A "Very Healthy" Diet, 94% Fall Short Of Daily Recommendations

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Feb 06, 2017, 10:12 ET

MANCHESTER, N.H., Feb. 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The good news? Americans think they are eating well; in fact, 60% say they eat a very healthy diet. The bad news? Perception and reality may not be aligned. As recent research conducted by ORC International on behalf of supplements leader MegaFood finds, 62% OF U.S. ADULTS ADMIT TO EATING JUST 1 TO 2 SERVINGS OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES A DAY, DESPITE recommendations from the USDA to eat five or more servings per day.* Only 6% of Americans report eating five or more servings per day, leaving a huge nutritional gap to fill.

As part of the large NHANES survey, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) identified that 30 million Americans are deficient in vitamin B6 ^(1,2), a nutrient found in foods like bananas and avocados, which plays an important role in the production of fuel and energy and is critical for the optimal function of our brain, nervous and immune systems. Survey results reveal the nutrition misperception persists here as well, as 52% of adults reported that they believed that they get enough B6 in their diet.

More than two thirds (67%) of adults believe they can get all of their nutrients by eating a healthy diet, which simply may not be realistic.

"My experience consistently shows me that a large number of Americans live high-carb, high-sugar, caffeine-overloaded, stressed-out, no-exercise lives," says Tieraona Low Dog, M.D, an internationally recognized expert in the fields of integrative medicine, herbal medicine and dietary supplementation, and author of National Geographic's Fortify Your Life: Your Guide to Vitamins, Minerals, and More. "We may have good intentions when it comes to eating well, but the truth is that many of us fall short of an ideal diet - and that even when we do our best to eat well, it is extremely difficult to get all the nutrients we need on a regular basis with diet alone."

For example, adults would need to eat one of the following foods every day to get the recommended daily value of vitamin B6:

3 medium bananas
12 Tbsp. roasted sunflower seeds
3 3/4 cups cooked lentils
3 1/2 cups raw diced avocado
20 Tbsp. peanut butter

Despite the challenge of getting all needed nutrients through their daily diet, two in five (42%) adults reported that they do not take a multivitamin. When asked what lifestyle changes they planned to make in 2017, just one in five (18%) planned to take a multivitamin. Survey respondents reported their top reason for not taking a multivitamin as "just not really thinking of it" (30%).

MEGAFOOD TAKES STEPS TO CLOSE THE GAP AND HELP CURE NUTRITIONAL POVERTY WITH MEGAPLEDGE.

To help address this significant nutrition and awareness gap, MegaFood is asking Americans to make 2017 the best year yet and pledge to improve their own life while also the lives of others. The MegaPledge campaign is MegaFood's next step towards curing nutritional poverty. They'll motivate people to take action and pledge to close their nutritional gap by taking a multivitamin, and help support someone in need with a 1-for-1 pledge and product donation. By paying it forward, they aim to improve lives twofold!

Just for pledging, the first 20,000 pledgers will receive a $5 MegaFood coupon to use on their next purchase and all pledgers will be entered to win a year's supply of MegaFood multivitamins and a grand prize trip for two to a wellness retreat getaway.

Beginning today, consumers can visit megafood.com/megapledge to take the one-click pledge.

Additionally, MegaFood is teaming up with Wholesome Wave, a non-profit organization that empowers underserved consumers to make healthier food choices by increasing affordable access to fresh, local food. With every pledge, MegaFood will donate two servings of fruits and veggies to someone in need – up to 40,000 servings.

"We're thrilled to partner with MegaFood in their campaign to cure nutritional poverty," said Chef Michel Nischan, Founder and CEO of Wholesome Wave. "With their support, we will empower scores of families to afford locally grown fruits and vegetables."

"The MegaPledge campaign is just one of the first steps in support of our company's larger vision to cure nutritional poverty," says MegaFood CEO Robert Craven. "We began this mission in 2016 by partnering with three New England retailers to establish community gardens in areas that significantly lacked access to healthy food, and the MegaPledge is our next big undertaking to address the fact that most Americans are sadly just not getting what they need in terms of nutrition."

MegaFood's multivitamin line features eight products formulated to support the health of men and women during various phases of life**. Formulated by integrative medical doctor and best-selling author, Tieraona Low Dog, M.D., each multivitamin offers 70% or more of the suggested Daily Value intake of key nutrients in just two tablets, and features the active form of B6, methylated B12 and folate, vitamins K1 and K2, and choline based on her recommendations for optimal dietary supplementation.

Survey Methodology
ORC International conducted this research on behalf of MegaFood via an online survey among a representative sample of 1,025 U.S. adults (514 men and 511 women) 18 years old or older; the study was fielded January 5-8, 2017 using ORC International's twice-weekly Online CARAVAN® Omnibus Survey.

* Based on a 2,200 calorie per day diet for those aged 14 and older.

**This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

(1)The CDC, Second National Report on Biochemical Indicators of Diet and Nutrition in the U.S. Population (2) NHANES 2007-2010 for average intakes by age-sex group. Healthy U.S.-Style Food Patterns, which vary based on age, sex and activity level, for recommended intake ranges.

About MegaFood
Fresh from farm to tablet™, MegaFood is as real as it gets. Since 1973, MegaFood has been committed to making products that use real food from family-owned farms to make a real difference, and has produced some of the most effective and award-winning supplements available today. A pioneer in the natural products industry, MegaFood was the first company to make their FoodState® vitamin and minerals from scratch starting with farm fresh whole foods. MegaFood continues to innovate by manufacturing more than 36 individual FoodState® Nutrients™ using their proprietary Slo-Food Process™, all in their own facility in New Hampshire. You can watch the process live anytime on their 24/7 live cams at megafood.com/livecams. Their FoodState Nutrients are blended and combined to create over 65 handcrafted supplements that make up the MegaFood product line today, found in over 7,000 natural products retailers and vitamin specialty shops throughout North America.

SOURCE MegaFood