5 A Day Fruit and Vegetable Quick Tips

5 A Day Basics

• Fruits and vegetables look good, taste great and contain vitamins and minerals
• Eating 5 to 9 A Day is quick and easy. A serving is a medium-size piece of fruit; ¾ cup (6 fl. oz.) of 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice, ½ cup cooked or canned vegetables or fruit, 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables, ½ cup cooked dry peas or beans, or ¼ cup dried fruit.
• You can get your 5 to 9 A Day in many ways because fruits and vegetables come fresh, frozen, canned, dried, and as 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice.
• Wash fresh fruits and vegetables thoroughly in water.

How Many Servings Do You Need Each Day?

It depends on your age, gender, and activity level:

Getting Started

• Not sure how to eat 5 to 9 A Day? Start the day with 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice. Slice bananas or strawberries on top of your cereal. Have a salad with lunch, and an apple for an afternoon snack. Include a vegetable with dinner and you already have 5 A Day. If you need more than 5 servings per day (see chart above), try adding a piece of fruit for a snack or an extra vegetable (like carrots or green beans) at dinner.
• There are so many choices when selecting fruits and vegetables. Have you ever tried kiwifruit? How about asparagus? Try something new that helps you reach your 5 to 9 A Day.
• Keep things fresh and interesting by combining fruits and vegetables of different flavors and colors, like red grapes with pineapple chunks, or cucumbers and red peppers.
• When you keep fruits and vegetables visible and easily accessible you tend to eat them more; for instance, store cut and cleaned produce at eye-level in the refrigerator, or keep a big bowl of fruit on the table.
• You can get some of your 5 to 9 A Day at restaurants too. Try some of these healthy choices.
• veggie pizza
• pasta with vegetables (but watch out for those high fat cream sauces)
• fresh vegetable "wrap"
• vegetable soup
• small salad (instead of fries)
• plenty of fresh vegetables from the salad bar