It’s common knowledge that fruit and vegetable intake is important for your health, offering a major source of nutrients. But just how many servings do we need to reap the benefits? According to Harvard Health, a total of 5 servings per day of fruits and veggies offers the most amount of health benefits, both short and long term.
Research suggests that individuals who ate 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day compared to individuals who consumed 2 servings each day saw:
- 35% lower risk of respiratory diseases
- 10% lower risk of cancer
- 12% lower risk of heart disease and stroke
- 13% lower risk of death overall
More specifically, these 5 servings can be broken down into 2 servings of fruit and 3 servings of vegetables each day for maximum benefits.
Level Up Your Fruit and Vegetable Intake
Want to add more fruits and veggies to your day but don’t know where to start?
You don’t have to make any huge changes! Here are some examples of ways to #LevelUp and add more servings of fruit and veggies into your daily diet.
Breakfast:
- Add blueberries to your cereal
- Add sauteed onions and spinach to your eggs
Lunch:
- Add greens or tomato slices to your sandwich
- Add avocado to your salad
Snacks:
- Add sliced banana to your yogurt parfait
- Swap your crackers and hummus for carrots and hummus
Dinner:
- Adding an extra side of steamed seasonal veggies to your meal (ex. squash and carrots in the fall, peppers and corn in the summer)
- Add a yummy side salad to your meal
Want more tips on how to get 9 essential micronutrients into your diet? Read this!
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