How Many Servings of Fruits and Vegetables Do You Actually Need Each Day?

A bite of celery might not give you the same warm glow as a bite of apple pie, but there are countless reasons why you should eat more fresh produce. Fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins and nutrients that keep the body healthy, including antioxidants that help with inflammation, fiber for digestion, and vitamin C to help boost immunity. Swapping out processed foods for fresh produce also lowers the risk of developing chronic diet-based ailments, like obesity and diabetes. But despite us all being told to eat our fruits and veggies from a young age, only 10% of the American public consumes enough produce to fulfill the daily recommended dietary guidelines. Luckily, it’s not very difficult to start adding fresh fruits and vegetables into your diet.

Eat Five Servings Daily

The general rule of thumb is to eat five combined servings of fruits and vegetables daily. 

A single serving of fruit can be a medium-sized apple or orange (Think the size of a baseball) or a smaller portion of a larger fruit, such as a 6-inch long banana or a 1/2-inch thick slice of watermelon. A single serving is also 1/4 cup of dried fruit or 1/2 cup of cut fresh, frozen, or canned fruit as long as it’s not in syrup, which impedes the nutritional value. One serving of vegetables equals 1 cup of raw leafy greens or 1/2 cup of fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables.

While some fruit and vegetable juices can be healthy, many are loaded with sugar, negating health benefits. Added sugars should make up no more than 10% of your daily calorie intake, so look for juices without additives.

Follow the 1-2-3 Approach

There are endless ways to up your daily intake of fruits and vegetables. You can use a juicer, add vegetables to a stir fry, slice a few pieces of fruit over a dessert, or simply snack on raw fruits and vegetables throughout the day.

One popular method for upping your fruit and vegetable consumption is the “1-2-3 approach.” This system works by having one serving of fruits or vegetables with breakfast, two servings with lunch, and three with dinner or as snacks throughout the day. Here is an example of a day of meals featuring the 1-2-3 approach. 

• Breakfast: Add 1/2 cup of fresh fruit to yogurt or 1 cup of raw spinach to an omelet.

• Lunch: Spread half of a medium avocado on a sandwich or toss ½ cup of fruits and vegetables into a salad.

• Dinner: Whip up a stir fry with half a zucchini and a medium carrot. Add ½ cup of chopped strawberries to a cup of ice cream for dessert. 

• Snack: Apple slices or celery sticks.

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