How Many Servings of Fruits and Veggies?

Many of us remember being told as children that we need to eat 3-5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. The good old food pyramid was part of our health education. Well, the food pyramid has gone through many changes and has been the center of controversy for many nutritionists and health care professionals over the years. The current recommendations, depending on what source you use, will range anywhere from 5-9 servings. I advise to aim towards the higher end and try to consume 7-9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

Why has the number of recommended servings increased over the years?

The number probably should have been higher to begin with; however, due to the large financial influence of the meat and dairy industry, the developers of the food pyramid made sure that these food groups received a large portion of our daily caloric intake. More importantly, the reason to increase your consumption of fruits and veggies is that studies are consistently showing that today’s food supply is less nutritious than the foods we ate 30 years ago. The Journal of HortScience reports that vegetables in today’s supermarket on average have 5%-40% less minerals than those grown 50 years ago.

Some examples include:

Broccoli: Calcium content in 1950 was 130mg, today is 48mg

Corn: Vitamin A content in 1950 was 390IU, today is 281IU

Strawberry: Phosphorus content in 1950 was 27mg, today is 19mg

Now, how do we get at least 7 servings into our daily diet?

Getting 7 servings of fruits and vegetables every day is no easy task. It requires planning, diligence, and commitment. Plan to have fresh vegetables and fruits readily available to you during the day. Travel with fruit - it's best eaten as a snack anyways. Make extra vegetables in the evening with dinner so that you have some ready the following day. How you spread your servings out over the day is going to be completely unique to you and your schedule. I aim to have had at least 4 servings before dinner. I can easily make up the rest of my servings during dinner. This may work for you, it may not. Experiment and find out what works for you.

Here are some tips to get the most nutrient value out of your produce:

•Try to buy organic.
•Shop your farmer’s market and eat seasonally. Use the following website to find local markets and farms near you. http://www.localharvest.org/
•Use produce within 1 week of purchase. Nutrient levels decline the longer the produce is around.
•Consume fresh produce when possible. During the winter months use frozen produce. Frozen produce is picked when it is at its peak and retains much of its nutritional content during processing.