Fruits and Vegetables : How Many Servings Do Your Need?

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We often talk about how diets rich in fresh produce are good for you. But how much do you need to eat each day to reap real rewards?

Keep reading to learn how many servings of fruits and vegetables you need to feel your best and keep your body strong and healthy. But first, let’s touch on why fruits and vegetables are important for health and longevity in the first place.

Why fruits and vegetables are important

Fruits and vegetables are powerhouses of essential vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, folate, and potassium. We need these nutrients to support numerous important bodily functions, such as resisting infections, wound healing, and muscle function.

These plant foods are also packed with dietary fiber, which promotes a healthy digestive system, supports a strong immune response, and can even help prevent serious conditions like bowel cancer.

Incorporating a generous amount of fruits and vegetables in your diet can:

Help regulate blood pressure
Reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease
Help prevent certain cancers
Mitigate the development of eye problems
Reduce your risk of develping digestive disorders
Regulate blood sugar levels, potentially helping with appetite control and decreasing diabetes risk

How many fruits and vegetables should I eat?

Recommendations on how many servings of fruits and vegetables you should eat can vary depending on which health organization you ask. But a recent study from the scholarly journal, Circulation, indicates that a total of five servings per day offers the strongest health benefits.

Compared to people who ate only two servings a day, those who ate five servings had a:

13% lower risk of death from any cause
12% lower risk of death from heart disease or stroke
10% lower risk of death from cancer
35% lower risk of death from respiratory disease like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Among the study’s participants, the most beneficial combination of fruits and veggies observed was two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables.

Researchers found the foods that provided the biggest health benefits were leafy greens (such as kale, spinach, and chard) and foods rich in vitamin C and beta carotene (citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruits, as well as berries and carrots). These foods are potent sources of antioxidants, which can help prevent cancer, among other conditions.

Interestingly, consuming more than five servings daily didn’t offer extra mortality risk reduction. Starchy vegetables like peas, corn, and potatoes, as well as fruit juices, also lacked this protective effect.

What is considered a serving of fruits and vegetables?

One serving of fruit or veggies is about 4 to 6 ounces. While the volume measurement of one serving can differ based on the type of food, for many fruits and vegetables, it’s equivalent to 1 cup, whether raw or cooked. So aim for 1 ½ to 2 cups of fruit and 2 to 3 cups of vegetables each day.

The American Heart Association recommends filling at least half your plate with fruits and veggies to get the recommended five servings per day.

How to make sure you’re getting 5 servings of fruits and vegetables

Most Americans don’t eat enough of these nutrient-dense foods. Here are some tips for incorporating more into your routine.

Breakfast

Enjoy fruit like melon, grapefruit, or apples.
Top cereal or oatmeal with bananas, raisins, or berries.
Mix veggies like onions, spinach, or bell peppers into eggs or potatoes.
Make a berry and banana smoothie with probiotic yogurt, or a green smoothie with spinach, kale, and arugula.

Related: Sources of Antioxidants

Lunch

Eat a leafy green salad topped with onions, carrots, and cucumber.
Enhance sandwiches with veggies like sprouts, tomato, and/or avocado.
Make a hearty vegetable soup, or try a low-sodium store-bought variety.
Swap chips or fries for fruit or raw veggie sticks.

Snacks

Munch on raw veggie sticks such as celery or carrots.
Keep dried fruits like raisins or dates in your pantry.
Enjoy fresh fruits like bananas or kiwis.
Make veggie chips out of fresh kale or thin slices of other veggies like carrots and zucchini.

Dinner

Eat a green salad as your main course, topped with protein like chicken and/or hard-boiled eggs.
Add a side of steamed or baked veggies, drizzled with olive oil. Frozen veggies are okay, and, according to some studies, retain as much or more nutritional value as their fresh counterparts.
Instead of pasta, turn veggies like zucchini, turnips, or beets into noodles and top with homemade or low-sodium tomato sauce.
Enrich sauces, stews, and other dishes with extra veggies like onions, garlic, and bell peppers.

Keep in mind that these guidelines are a general target, and missing a day’s quota of fruits or vegetables isn’t catastrophic. The emphasis is on sustained balance over time. By consistently aiming for five servings daily, on average, you’re proactively paving the path to a healthier future.

References:

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.120.048996

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3649719/

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Potassium-HealthProfessional/#:~:text=Observational%20studies%20suggest%20that%20increased,potassium%20may%20improve%20bone%20health.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3783921/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9268622/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6560290/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12088522/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3419346/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9099655/#:~:text=The%20combination%20diet%20reduced%20systolic,diet%20(P%3D0.07).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5837313/#:~:text=Results%3A%20For%20fruits%20and%20vegetables,%25%20CI%3A%200.95%E2%80%930.99%2C

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5852712/