How Many Fruits and Vegetables Should I Be Eating Daily?

Many people are confused about how many servings of fruits and vegetables they should be eating and what constitutes a serving size. It’s no wonder that people are baffled. Recommended daily fruit and vegetable intake varies and are typically based on an average, not an individual requirement. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the recommended number of fruit and vegetable servings is 7 to 13 daily. This is based on a serving size of 125 mL (½ cup) fresh, frozen, or canned vegetable or fruit or 250 mL (1 cup) leafy raw vegetables, or salad, or 1 piece of fruit.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends at least 2 cups of fruit and 2.5 cups of vegetables daily for a total of 4.5 cups, for the average person consuming a diet of 2,000 calories, who is moderately active.

So how do you figure out what you should be eating to meet these guidelines? Fortunately, there are some suggestions you can follow, to make sure get the recommended number of fruit and vegetable servings every day.

• Eat Large Salads: Eat a large salad for lunch, or even dinner. Keep in mind that for salads, you need 2 cups of leafy green vegetables to equal 1 cup. So a lunch or dinner salad of 5 cups of salad greens will give you 2.5 cups of vegetables. This is the salad size you generally get when ordering a salad in a restaurant or café. Add another vegetable or a fresh piece of fruit and you have your daily recommended amount of fruits and vegetables.

• Have a Berry Good Day: Researchers have conducted studies that show that berries have amazing benefits. A half cup of dried berries counts as a full cup. Berries can keep you mentally sharp, promote heart health, and assist in controlling weight. Berries are also thought to help fight high blood pressure and prevent Alzheimer’s Disease. Blueberries, strawberries, akai berries, and others are a delicious way to incorporate fruit into your diet.

• Snack Right: Get into the habit of munching on fruits and veggies for a quick pick-me-up, especially during the mid-afternoon slump and right before dinner. Remember that one large piece of fruit is equal to one cup. Get into the habit of eating an apple or banana a couple of hours after lunch, and then prepare a crudité of carrot and celery sticks, snow peas, and cherry tomatoes served with hummus as an appetizer before dinner.

• Try a Juice Powder Concentrate: If a minimum of 7 servings of fruits and vegetables sounds like a lot to you, consider an alternative source that can help with your daily intake. For example, Juice Plus+ Orchard and Garden Blends provide whole food based nutrition from a range of natural fruits and vegetables to help bridge the nutrient gap between the amount you eat and the amount you should be eating.