Back to Basics: Fruits & Vegetables

“Eat your fruits and vegetables!” We hear it all the time, but how much do we really need and how do we easily get the daily recommended amount per day? Here is a really simple way of looking at this:

-For vegetables: eat 2 ½ cups a day; for leafy greens, it takes two cups to equal one serving

-For fruit: eat 2 cups a day; 1 cup of 100% fruit juice also counts as a full serving of fruit

Now what does this look like in a day? A cup of berries with your oatmeal (1 serving fruit); a salad with 2 cups romaine, ½ cup cucumber slices, ½ cup cherry tomatoes (2 servings veg); an afternoon snack of a banana with peanut butter (1 serving fruit); pasta made with ½ cup of tomato sauce (1 serving veg). It does not have to be more complicated than that!

Once you’re comfortable with your bases, consider the variety and number of colors in the fruits and vegetables you’re consuming. The more variety you have there, the larger range of vitamins you’re taking in. You don’t have to try to get all that variety within one week, either. I recommend keeping a list of fruits and vegetables you know you love, and a list of fruits and vegetables that you’d like to experiment with. Pull one fruit and vegetable from the experiment list per grocery shop!

[Quantities based off USDA Dietary Guidelines 2020-2025]