Initiative for a Healthy Weight

Nutrition

Increasing Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

The amount of fruits and vegetables recommended has increased for men and women of every age to 5-13 servings a day. Fruits and vegetables combined now equal more servings than any other food group. This means that about half of what you eat at every meal or snack should be fruits and vegetables. Most moderately active adults and teens need to eat about 5 cups of fruits and vegetables daily. Currently, they are eating only about half that amount.

Why Should You Eat More Fruits and Vegetables?

Recent research shows that eating more fruits and vegetables helps you:

• Maintain a healthy weight and/or actually lose weight
• Reduce your risk of strokes
• Help to decrease bone loss and prevent osteoporosis
• Reduce your risk of developing many types of cancer including prostate cancer, lung cancer, cancer of the mouth, stomach, and colon-rectum cancer.
• Reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
• Reduce your risk of developing kidney stones