States with the best and worst diets
As researchers have shown time and again, a poor diet is the single largest determinant of unhealthy weight gain, and is a principal component of unhealthy lifestyles more generally. While exercise habits have remained roughly unchanged among Americans over the past several decades, obesity rates have skyrocketed. The eating habits of Americans are related to several different factors and are varied between states.
To rank the diets of each state, 24/7 Wall St. constructed an index based on five behavioral factors, including vegetable, fruit, and soda consumption by adults and high school students. California leads the nation with the healthiest eating habits, while Mississippi residents have the nation's worst diets.
In most states with the worst diets, relatively few adults report regular fruit and vegetable consumption. Nationwide, 61.5% of American adults consume fruits once a day and 77.6% consume vegetables daily. In all but six of the 25 states reporting better eating habits, fruit consumption was higher than the national average. Similarly, only in five of these states was vegetable consumption worse than across the country. The opposite tended to be true for the 25 states with poor eating habits.
Partially as a result of the poor eating habits in these states, negative health outcomes such as obesity tended to be far higher than in other states. All but six of the 25 states with healthier diets had an obesity rate lower than the national obesity rate of 28.3%, while nearly all of the states with poorer diets reported higher obesity rates. A poor diet — and obesity — contributes to increased risk of a range of other health problems, including diabetes and heart disease.
These conditions may help explain the higher incidence of premature death in the states reporting the worse diets. Nationwide, an average of 6,622 years of life are lost each year due to preventable deaths per 100,000 people. In all but one of the 10 states with the worst diets, the incidence of premature death exceeds 8,000 years per 100,000 people. In all but one of the 10 states with the best diets, on the other hand, the number of years each year lost due to preventable death is less than 6,000 years per 100,000 people.
An unhealthy diet can also lead to other negative outcomes beyond poor health. Poor nutrition has been tied to a lack of focus among school children, and it can hinder children's overall development.
Poor diets in general, and obesity in particular, have large economic costs as well. The annual estimated cost of obesity in America is between $147 billion and $210 billion. This excludes the cost of job absenteeism, which is more likely among overweight workers and is pegged at around $4.3 billion.
The high cost of poor health is likely both contributing to, and is felt more acutely in, the states with the worst diets. The poverty rate in most of these states is higher than the national rate of 15.5%. Among the 25 states with the best diet, on the other hand, the poverty rate is higher than the national rate in only three.
To determine the quality of diets in each state, 24/7 Wall St. constructed an index based on five behavioral measures: the percentage of adults who report consuming fruit less than once daily, the percentage of adults who report consuming vegetables less than once daily, the proportion of high school students who report less than daily fruit and vegetable consumption, and the percentage of high school students consuming soda at least once per day — all for 2013 from the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The incidence of premature death, measured in the average annual number of years lost due to preventable death prior to age 75 also came from the CDC. The percentage of households in each state with food insecurity or very low food insecurity came from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and is an average of survey data taken between 2012 and 2014.
These are the states with the best diets.
1. California
> Pct. consuming vegetables at least once daily: 82.7% (4th highest)
> Pct. consuming fruit at least once daily: 69.6% (the highest)
> Obesity rate: 24.1% (5th lowest)
> Poverty rate: 16.4% (17th highest)
On the whole, California's population eats better than the population of every other state. Nearly 70% of the state's adult population eats fruit at least once each day, the highest proportion nationwide, and much higher than the 61.5% of adults nationwide who do. Also, 82.7% of California adults consume vegetables once daily, the fourth highest percentage in the nation. Healthy eating is considered essential to maintaining healthy weight. Not surprisingly, only 24.1% of the state's adults are obese, well below the national adult obesity rate of 28.3%. Higher-income states tend to be healthier on the whole, and California is no exception. The typical household earns $61,933 a year, $8,276 more than the national median income.
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2. Vermont
> Pct. consuming vegetables at least once daily: 83.5% (2nd highest)
> Pct. consuming fruit at least once daily: 67.2% (2nd highest)
> Obesity rate: 24.7% (7th lowest)
> Poverty rate: 12.2% (15th lowest)
Vermont residents have among the healthiest diets in the country. Around 67% of the state's adult population eats fruit at least once each day, and 83.5% of Vermont adults consume vegetables once daily, much lower than the respective national proportions of 61.5% and 77.6%. Healthy eating is considered essential to maintaining healthy weight. Not surprisingly, only 24.7% of the state's adults are obese, well below the national adult obesity rate of 28.3%. The presence of farmer's markets may also play a partial role. There are 15 farmer's markets per 100,000 Vermont residents, the highest concentration nationwide.
3. Oregon
> Pct. consuming vegetables at least once daily: 83.7% (the highest)
> Pct. consuming fruit at least once daily: 66.6% (4th highest)
> Obesity rate: 26.5% (15th lowest)
> Poverty rate: 16.6% (14th highest)
Oregon residents have among the healthiest diets in the country. Only 66.6% of the state's adult population eats fruit at least once each day compared to 61.5% of adults nationwide who do not. In addition, 83.7% of Oregon adults consume vegetables at least once daily, the highest proportion of all states and significantly higher than the national proportion of 77.6%. Healthy exercise habits are more common in states where residents report healthy diets, and Oregon is a notable example. While 26.3% of adults nationwide report no leisure time physical activity, just 18.5% of Oregon adults report such low levels of exercise, the second lowest share nationwide.
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4. New Hampshire
> Pct. consuming vegetables at least once daily: 83.2% (3rd highest)
> Pct. consuming fruit at least once daily: 66.2% (6th highest)
> Obesity rate: 26.7% (16th lowest)
> Poverty rate: 9.2% (the lowest)
New Hampshire residents have among the healthiest diets in the country. For example, 83.2% of New Hampshire adults consume vegetables at least once daily, significantly higher than the 77.6% of adults nationwide who report similar vegetable consumption. The state's students also eat better than students in most states. High income states tend to be healthier on the whole, and New Hampshire is no exception. The typical household earns $66,532 a year, $12,875 more than the national median income. New Hampshire's poverty rate, at just 9.2%, is also the lowest of all states.
5. Utah
> Pct. consuming vegetables at least once daily: 79.6% (11th highest)
> Pct. consuming fruit at least once daily: 63.5% (14th highest)
> Obesity rate: 24.1% (5th lowest)
> Poverty rate: 11.7% (11th lowest)
On the whole, Utah's population eats better than the population of all but a few states. Excessive consumption of sugary beverages does not appear to be a problem in Utah, for example. Only 13.5% of Utah high school students drink at least one soda each day, significantly below the national share of 27% of 9th-12th graders who report such soda consumption. Healthy eating is considered essential to maintaining healthy weight. Not surprisingly, only 24.1% of the state's adults are obese, well below the national adult obesity rate of 28.3%. Higher-income states also tend to be healthier on the whole, and Utah is no exception. Utah's annual median household income of $60,922 is $7,265 greater than the national median income.
Which state has the worst diet? Where the rest of the states rank:
States With The Best and Worst Diets
24/7 Wall St. is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news and commentary. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.