Are College Students Eating Enough Produce? In A Word: No.

A study found that college-age males eat just five servings of produce per week, on average. Females were even worse, consuming just four servings in the same time span.Vitamin supplements may improve health, even at university. Almost everyone is familiar with the way collegians eat. Once given access to 24-hour dining halls, many university students start eating loads of processed foods and starches, without paying much mind to fruits and vegetables. Don’t they?

Do they ever, said a team of researchers from Oregon State University. In a study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, the group found that college-age males eat just five servings of produce per week, on average.

Females were even worse, consuming just four servings in the same time span. To put these findings in perspective, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that adults eat five servings of fruits and vegetables per day.

Co-author Brad Cardinal laid partial blame on the poor health education being given to American children and young adults.

“We are not teaching youth how to be self-sustaining. Home economics and nutrition classes have all but disappeared from our schools in the K-12 system. There is a fundamental lack of understanding on how to eat well in a very broad sense,” he concluded.