Fruits & Veggies: Recommended Daily Servings and Serving Sizes

School-aged children should consume a minimum of five servings of fruits or vegetables per day, and for many parents, that seems like an impossibility, especially as french fries and ketchup do not count.  But as the US Department of Agriculture set serving sizes based upon the portion-size of an average person, nutritional value and ease of use, a serving size may not be what you think.

 

My Plate is intended for ages 2+.
For specific help with preschoolers,
the USDA offers help through
customized daily food plans.

¾ cup (6 oz.) 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice

1 medium piece of fruit (apple, orange, banana, pear, peach)

 

½ cup raw, cooked, frozen, or canned (in 100% juice) fruit (melon, 6 strawberries, 15 grapes, or applesauce,)

 

½ cup raw, cooked, frozen or canned vegetables (approx. 5 broccoli florets, 10 baby carrots, 1 Roma tomato, an ear of corn, or 1/2 of a baked sweet potato)

1 cup raw leafy vegetables (salad greens)

¼ cup dried fruit (raisins, plums/prunes, apricots)
 
½ cup cooked, canned or frozen peas and beans (legumes)

For the visual learners, ½ cup of a fruit, vegetable or legume looks like a scoop of ice cream, 1 cup of salad is the size of a tennis ball, and ¼ cup of dried fruit would fit in a golf ball.  If you cannot remember what foods go with which ball-size, My Plate is another visual reminder of how meals should break down by food group.

So if five servings is the minimum number of servings of fruits or vegetables, what is actually suggested?  For children, age 2-6, that number would fall between five and nine servings combined, though for younger children, many experts specifically recommend at least three servings of vegetables and two of fruit. Growing children and teen girls need at least four servings of vegetables and three servings of fruit per day, while teenaged boys should target at least five servings of vegetables and four servings of fruit.

Interestingly, the USDA has determined that avocado does not count as a fruit or vegetable serving (it is actually a fruit), as it contains too much fat.  Whatever.  Avacados are an amazing source of dietary fiber, of which most diets could use a healthy dose.