Fruit and vegetables in the service member's diet: data from military institutional feeding studies

Previous surveys of the U.S. population have indicated that typical intakes of fruits and vegetables are substantially below recommended levels. Using data from nine dietary studies, we examined 798 service members who subsisted in government-run feeding programs to determine how they differ from the general population. The findings of this retrospective investigation showed that an estimated 43% of service members met the minimum recommendation of five daily servings of fruit and vegetables compared with 6% of the general population. Among genders, more males had fruits and vegetables rich in carotenoids (22 vs. 10%), whereas a slightly higher proportion of females consumed cruciferous vegetables (14 vs. 11%). Only 3% consumed no servings of vegetables, and 11% consumed no servings of fruits. Intake in overall quantity of fruits and vegetables was higher among service members, but further efforts are needed to increase consumption of cruciferous vegetables and fruits and vegetables rich in carotenoids.