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Vegetable and Fruit Servings

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) presents the number of fruits and vegetables you should consume each day as science. While most people fall into a 3- to 6-cup per day range, your age, sex and level of physical activity dictate exactly how much produce you require daily. Meeting the recommendations is not hard, especially if you get creative.

  1. Definition of a "Cup"

    • When the CDC refers to a cup, they mean the standard measuring cup used in recipes. So, a cup of vegetables equals 1 cup of raw or cooked vegetables, or 100 percent vegetable juice; or 2 cups of raw leafy greens. The CDC explains that a cup of fruit is the equivalent of 1 cup of fruit or 100 percent fruit juice, or 1/2 cup of dried fruit.

    How Much Do You Need?

    • The exact amounts of fruits and vegetables the CDC recommends varies by individual. According to a calculator at the CDC's Fruits and Veggies Matter website, a 30-year-old male who gets between 30 and 60 minutes of physical activity (something considered beyond the light activity of everyday living) a day requires 2 cups of fruit and 3.5 cups of vegetables daily. The same goes for a female of the same age and activity level with the exception of one less cup of required veggies. Children and teens, as well as older adults, tend to require about 1/2 to 1 cup less of each.

    Considerations

    • The CDC comes up with the number of servings a person needs based on how many calories they are advised to consume in a day. Your age, sex and level of physical activity determines your calorie requirement, which is used to set your fruit and vegetable serving figures. The CDC explains that since men tend to require more calories than women, they usually need to eat more servings of fruits and vegetables. Men, however, are less likely than women to eat the suggested amounts.

    Comparison

    • Health Canada offers guidelines similar to the CDC. They publish a "Food Guide" and note the number of "Food Guide Servings" of fruits and vegetables they recommend Canadians consume. A food guide serving is equivalent to a medium-size piece of fruit or 1/2 cup of most fruits and vegetables. Health Canada advises female adults between the ages of 19 and 50 consume between 7 and 8 Food Guide Servings of produce daily. Men in the same age range require 8 to 10.

    Getting There

    • Hitting your number, regardless of whose recommendations you follow, can seem daunting. The CDC eases concerns, though, by offering easy ways to sneak fruits and vegetables into your diet. They suggest fruit as a mid-morning snack and an addition to your breakfast cereal or oatmeal. Harvard's School of Public Health (HSPH) advises keeping fruit in plain sight--on your kitchen counter--because you are more likely to eat it if you can see it. If you eat soup, pasta or pizza, the CDC suggests sneaking vegetables into or onto such items to help meet your target. These tricks add up. Blueberries in your oatmeal, an orange before lunch and pizza loaded with bell peppers and fresh tomatoes can easily approach 3 to 5 servings.

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