Fitting in Your Fruits and Veggies

While many of us know we need to eat our fruits and veggies, many of us have a hard time fitting them all in. I am always telling my clients to eat more fruits and veggies. But what exactly are the recommendations? Can it be done? And can we eat too many?

What is the daily recommendation?

Gone are the days of “5-a-day.”

Many years ago, the campaign was changed to “Fruits and Veggies More Matters” since we needed to get “more” in our diet.

Now it is “Have a plant.”

It really should be, “for crying-out-loud, eat a vegetable already!”

People are just not eating enough fruits and vegetables. We know that there is a direct correlation between plant food consumption and the risk of obesity, certain cancers, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. And it can help with eye health. There are so many benefits, yet people still don’t get enough. People make it complicated when it really isn’t.

How much should we get?

From pre-teens (age 9) to adults, we should aim for 1½ - 2 cups of fruit each day and 1½ - 4 cups of vegetables. So, on the low end, that is 3 cups, and on the high end, that is 6 cups combined.

Keep in mind that the low end would be for pre-teen girls, and the higher end is for adult males (noting these are general recommendations). It is more refined at the individual level.

**What is 1 cup?**

In general, 1 cup of fruit or 100% fruit juice, or ½ cup of dried fruit, is equal to 1 cup of fruit, and 1 cup of raw or cooked vegetables or vegetable juice, or 2 cups of raw leafy salad greens is considered 1 cup of vegetables.

Can it be done?

If you plan a little bit, you can get in all your cups in a day, every day. But I also recommend that people start from where they are now and start with adding one more serving of fruit and one more serving of vegetable to their daily intake for about a week and then continue to add more weekly until they are at their goals. Even if you current intake is ZERO – and yes, I do see that – start with A serving of something.

And yes, it can be done. And getting in more fruits and vegetables each day can help minimize foods with added sugars or overly processed foods and provide plenty of water, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, including potassium and keep sodium low. But, yes, even dietitians don’t do it all perfectly.

I have many tips in my free mini-course, 6 Tips for the Busy Person to Have Sustainable Energy: All Day Energy Through Food. There I go into more details on how you can u can get started.

Here is a sample of just the fruits and veggies for a day – this does not include all foods in the day:

Breakfast: 1 cup fruit – frozen and in a smoothie or one whole banana or other fruit

Lunch: 12 baby carrots (equal to 1 cup) and 1 cup of raw snap peas

Afternoon Snack: 8-10 large strawberries (equal to 1 cup) plus ½ cup of blueberries. These can be fresh or frozen (and even eaten with yogurt).

Dinner: 1 cup steamed broccoli, plus red bell pepper strips in the dinner (~ ½ cup)

Total: 2½ cups fruit and 3½ cups vegetables = 6 cups.

How to add more in:

Include at least one cup of fruit with breakfast.

Whether dried, frozen, or fresh, include it on your cereal in your smoothie or on the side. For example, some mornings, I have two different fruits in the smoothie (such as a banana and strawberries).

Have at least three cups during the day, between breakfast and your evening meal.

Here is my tip: on Sunday, I prepare four-five plastic, re-sealable containers, each containing at least 2 cups of vegetables: 12 baby carrots, one cup of snap peas, 12 grape tomatoes, and ½ of a cucumber.

Also, include at least one fruit for your afternoon snack: apple, orange, berries, pear, peaches, or your other favorite.

Dinner: Make half your plate vegetables.

For several years I have suggested to my clients that they make half their “plate” vegetables or fruit. While this does not have to be half the plate, it needs to be half the meal. It can be different vegetables, salad, fruit, or any combination, but half of your meal should consist of vegetables and fruit, and this helps people fill out the rest of their fruits and veggies for the day.

Can we eat too many?

When people ask me this, I often say to give it a try and let me know how it goes. But I do say this in jest.

It is possible, yes. But if it is whole fruits and vegetables (rather than dried or juice), most rational humans will stop eating way before it becomes an issue. However, some people do overconsume things and ignore when their body tells them to stop.

When it is whole fruits and vegetables, the water and fiber will likely cause people to feel full and stop eating more food before it becomes harmful.

And keep in mind this is one of many food groups/foods we should include in our overall eating plan. Do not eat these to the exclusion of other foods.

People will suggest you need organic when you don’t. Check out my post, Ignore the Dirty Dozen

People will suggest “fresh is best” when it isn’t necessary. Check out my post, Is “Fresh” the “Best”

And people will suggest that these foods have “too much sugar” – to which am often dumbfounded.

Do people really think that the sugar in carrots or bananas is the real reason for our collective poor health in the U.S.? Really? Holy moly – it is not even close.

The lack of these foods is the issue, not the ones with these nutrients including fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

How are you doing on your fruit and veggie intake? If you aren’t already, can you work on getting your cups each day? You can do it if you try.