The Food Factor: Fruits and Veggies – Do you Measure Up?

Video by Jonathan Parrish

I get it. You’re busy. It’s hard to squeeze a lot of fruits and vegetables into your daily diet.

And, if you’re like me, when you hear a recommended number of daily servings, you just want to roll your eyes.

Today, I want to offer you a bit of hope, in the form of some tips on judging how much makes one serving. Because you might be eating more servings than you think you are! In fact, most adult women need 1.5 to 2 cups of fruit and 2 to 3 cups of veggies daily. (These amounts vary by sex, age, and level of activity.)

And did you know that all forms of fruits and vegetables count? Whether you’re snacking on fresh, frozen, dried, canned, or juice—these all count toward your daily servings. We’ll save the debate over the pros and cons of each for another day.

So: Six baby carrots = ½ cup. A large banana = 1 cup.

For a quick visual guide to how much fruit is in 1 cup and ½ cup of several popular types of produce, check out these comparisons at the Fruits & Veggies: More Matters website.

The good news is that fruits and vegetables, especially in their fresh form, are low in calories but help you feel full, so you’re less likely to chow down on less healthy snacks.

If you have tips for adding more fruits and vegetables to your daily diet, let me know on Facebook and Twitter!