So What’s a Serving Size?

Less than a quarter of American’s eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables daily. A new study, published in the January 2010 American Journal of Public Health, found that by logging onto a special website, people increased their consumption of fruits and vegetables. While that sounds terrific, there is an underlying question- what constitutes a serving? Does a cup of fruit juice count as a serving? (Yes, if it’s 100% fruit). What about a potato or sweet potato? (Sweet potato yes, a regular baked potato not so much.)

While the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has set a general recommendation of five servings daily of fruits and vegetables, a closer examination of Mypramid.gov shows that serving amounts can differ depending on your age, whether you are pregnant, have a particular health condition, and other variables.

Back to what constitutes a serving size. The USDA goes by 1 cup (the kind used in recipes) measures. In general, 1 cup of raw or cooked vegetables or 100% vegetable juice, or 2 cups of raw leafy greens can be considered as 1 cup from the vegetable group. One cup of fruit or 100% fruit juice, or 1/2 cup of dried fruit can be considered as 1 cup from the fruit group.

Learn more about specific vegetables, and what constitutes a serving size, by going to http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/vegetables_counts.html# For fruits, go to
http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/fruits_counts.html

Other websites to check out:

Fruits and Veggies Matter

Fruits and Vegetables: Do you Get Enough from the American Cancer Society

MyPyramid

Dietary Guidelines from the USDA