We would run out of food pretty quickly.
Everyone knows Americans should be eating more vegetables. New data illustrates this nicely. 50% of the vegetables available in America are either potatoes or tomatoes (split evenly). Third runner-up is lettuce.
In other words, most of our vegetables come in cheeseburger form.
Farmers are growing what people buy, and they aren't growing as many of the lesser-used vegetables. Thus, if every American woke up tomorrow and decided to eat a healthy amount and variety of vegetables, we would straight up run out!
87% of adults fail to meet the basic nutritional guidelines set out by the USDA. Although it must be said that the USDA's guidelines are not the greatest - for one thing they are very wheat- and corn-heavy - it still is a good starting point. The lowest-ranking state was Mississippi, with only 5.5% of adults meeting guidelines. The highest-ranking state was California, with only 13% of adults meeting guidelines.
The CDC is challenging Americans to eat fewer of the triad (potatoes, tomatoes, and lettuce) and branch out more into healthier vegetables. It's coming on winter squash season, there are a lot of great squash options out there! Trader Joe's even sells pre-cubed chunks of squash, with instructions on how to bake or steam them right on the package. (I adore Trader Joe's!)