Nutrivore: The Radical New Science for Getting the Nutrients You Need from the Food You Eat

by Sarah Ballantyne

In fact, the average vegetable consumption is a mere 1.64 cup equivalents of vegetables per day. In contrast, Americans consume about double the recommended amount of grains, averaging 6.7 ounce equivalents per day compared to the current MyPlate recommendation of 3 servings of whole grains daily for females and 3.5 to 4 servings for males. In fact, the consumption of grains has increased by 35 percent since 1970 (this increase is mainly driven by a 23 percent increased intake of wheat-based products and a 202 percent increased intake of corn-based products). Yes, swapping out the excess grain servings for fruits and vegetables in the average American diet would be a huge win.