Food Article - Five Fruits And Veggies A Day: It's Easier Than You Think

by Linda Sleichter
Nutrition research has determined that eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day translates to good health for adults and children.

"There are so many studies that show, with a variety of fruits and vegetables, we can meet many of the basic nutrition requirements needed for good health," said Sandy Procter, K State Research and Extension nutritionist. "Instead of supplementing a diet with vitamins, a person can get that same nutritional value by eating a variety of fruits and vegetables in optimal quantities."

Procter offered these tips to achieve five servings every day: * Check your serving size.

"We are not real accurate in our estimates of serving sizes, whether it is french fries or salad," Procter said. "We have a tendency to underestimate how much we eat of high fat foods and entrees. For example, a plate of spaghetti at a restaurant may be offered as one serving, but it's probably more like three or four.

"In contrast, however, we tend to overestimate how many servings of fruits and vegetables we eat. A large banana counts as two fruit servings, and an entree salad may contain three or four servings of fruits or vegetables.........

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