STATE ADULTS EAT FEWER VEGETABLES.

Byline: Melissa Schmitt Daily News Staff Writer

Think carrot juice is just for old Bugs Bunny? Prefer a shot of vodka to a shot of wheatgrass? Choose a dripping burger with cheese rather than a cucumber-and-alfalfa sprout sandwich?

Join the unhealthy California club.

Two of three Californians are not getting the recommended daily serving of five fruits and vegetables, a study released Tuesday by the state Department of Health Services shows.

Instead, most Californians eat only 3.8 servings.

Those findings have health officials predicting dire consequences for the state's population.

``One of the things we know is that if you eat the minimum five servings, that helps prevent cancer, heart disease and stroke,'' said Trinette Beauchemin, Health Services spokeswoman.

``To look at the big picture, 35,000 deaths in California each year are the result of preventible disease related to poor diet. Statewide, $15 million is spent on health care costs related to those sicknesses.''

A diet complete with the five daily servings prevents 30 percent of cancer cases, 25 percent of strokes and 30 percent of premature heart attacks, according to the Department of Health Services.

The department has studied Californian's diets every two years since 1989, and this was the first time California adults were found to be cutting back on their fruits and vegetables.

Indeed, Californians now eat less fresh produce than the average American, the study showed.

Lunchers in Woodland Hills Tuesday said the study won't change their eating patterns.

``I don't like vegetables, so I don't eat them,'' said Sloane McHenry, 25, as she finished off her turkey burger with cheese, french fries and iced tea.

McHenry is a living testament to a sign on the wall of the Fatburger restaurant where she was eating.: ``Studies show you like fries and a drink with your hamburger.''

``The few times I actually cook at home, I make some veggies. But I never go to a hamburger place that serves a burger with green beans.''

Convenience is the top reason why Californians skip some of their five-a-day, the study showed.

``It's tough to get fruits and vegetables in your average fast-food restaurant,'' Beauchemin said. ``It's ironic . . . in a state that provides 50 percent of the agriculture for the whole country.''

The second reason for a poor diet was lack of knowledge about preparing fruits and vegetables, and lifestyle issues were the third cause, the state report says.

Of 11 people who stopped eating their lunches Tuesday long enough to talk about their diets, only three said they regularly get their daily supply of healthy fruit and vegetables. And each of those three admitted his wife or mother does the cooking.

Nyall London depends on his wife to make sure he gets his vegetables, and he concentrates on taste.

``I have veggies at dinner. My wife cooks it,'' London said.

On the other side of the plate, the researchers found that, among Californians concerned with a proper diet, one in three favors health-food restaurants, such as the juice bars that are proliferating across the city.

Dawn Fickel, 28, takes a daily dose of wheatgrass and a healthy juice drink at least weekly.

``I do it because of the way it makes me feel.''

CAPTION(S):

Chart

Chart: UNHEALTHY HABITS

Although California grows half the nation's produce, adults in the state ate fewer servings per day of fruits and vegetables last year than they did two years before.

SOURCE: California Department of Health Services

Daily News