Why we need to focus on a specific month for fruits and vegetables, I don’t know. Let’s devote the entire YEAR to fruits and vegetables. Focus on eating fruits and vegetables every day of every month of the year.

However, here we are in September, formerly “National 5-a-Day Month,” and it is now “Fruit and Veggies Month.”

I stand by my statement of “every day.”

Camping, holidays, parties, tailgating, and all the events can easily have fruit and vegetables.

I recently attended a barbecue, and before the grilled chicken, potato salad, and beans appeared, we had trays of veggies and fruit to snack on. See? Not too hard to do. Especially since these days, by paying a bit more, you can pick up the trays of prewashed, precut produce without having to do much more than pry open the lid.

Why eat fruits and vegetables?

They are the original fast food.
They are low-calorie (with a couple of exceptions), and most are less than 100 calories per serving.
Research indicates they can reduce the risk of most cancers, including lung and skin cancer.
Research indicates they can help reduce the risk of heart disease because of their many nutrients, including folate and potassium.
Research suggests that they help reduce aging, including our skin, eyes, and much more.

VEGETABLES are fresh, frozen, canned, dried vegetables and 100% vegetable juice. Most of us should get t 2-3 cups of vegetables a day, depending on our calorie level.

What counts as a cup? Generally, 1 cup of raw or cooked vegetables or juice. Suppose you have leafy vegetables, such as spinach, cabbage, or lettuce 2 cups count as 1 cup.

FRUIT is fresh, frozen, canned, dried fruit, and 100% fruit juice. Most of us should get 1½ - 2 cups of fruit daily, depending on our calorie level.

What counts as a cup? Generally, 1 cup of 100% fruit juice and ½ cup of dried fruit counts. But fresh, frozen, or canned would be your best bet (only because it helps you feel full compared to juice or dried fruit). Whole fruit, like apples or oranges, about the size of a tennis ball or baseball, is equivalent to a cup of fruit (or about the size of a woman’s fist).

About juice: 100% juice is the way to go if you must consume juice. But, only one of your fruit and vegetable servings should come from the juice. This amount means one 8-ounce serving and no more. Ounce per ounce of juice has more calories than regular soda, which contains many calories and more nutrients.

So, how many servings did you get today?