Dietary Recommendations for Fruits & Vegetables

While eating lots of fruits and vegetables has been associated with important health benefits like lower blood pressure and reduced risk of heart disease, stroke and some cancers, it´s important to keep within the confines of your recommended daily calorie intake.

Adults

• According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, adults on a 2,000 calorie diet should eat two cups of fruit and two-and-one-half cups of vegetables per day. When selecting your fruits and vegetables, think 'rainbow' and try to select a wide variety of colors and textures to eat each day.

Children

• The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that children between the ages of one- and three-years-old should consume about one cup of fruit a day and three-fourths of a cup of vegetables. Also per the AHA, Boys, aged 14- to 18-years-old need two cups of fruit per day and three cups of vegetables. Feed children fruit and vegetables in servings proportional to their recommended calorie intake.

Diabetics

• The Mayo Clinic encourages diabetics to consume a variety of fruits and vegetables . By counting carbohydrates or keeping track of the glycemic index of fruits and vegetables you can keep your diabetes under control and still benefit from the vitamins and nutrients fruits and vegetables offer.