Americans are slowly changing their patterns toward healthier diets. however, a considerable gap remains between recommended dietary patterns and what Americans usually eat. Information from CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance system indicates that only about one-fourth of U.S. adults eat the recommended five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Between1987 and 1998, obesity among U.S. adults increased dramatically; more than 50% of adults are new overweight or obese. Poor eating habits are often established during the childhood. More than 60% of young people eat too much fat, and less than 20% eat the recommended number of servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Between 10% and 15% of young people aged 6-7 years are considered overweight. The percentages of young people who are overweight has more than doubled in the last30 years. People who are overweight are at increased risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and possibly cancer. Being overweight also worsens the disabilities associated with arthritis. The total economic cost of obesity in the United States in 1995 was estimated to be nearly100 billion. Now we know that good nutrition lowers a person’s risk for many chronic diseases, including coronary heart disease, stroke, some types of cancer, diabetes, and osteoporosis. The numbers in paragraph 2 show most Americans are ______.