Eat 2 Apples and 15 Broccoli Florets A Day to Keep the Doctor Away

Americans are doing a terrible job of eating their fruits and vegetables. We often make fun of kids having to be tricked into eating vegetables by playing games or hiding broccoli under a slice of melted cheese. When I was a kid, my mom made my brother and I count the number of peas in our bowls of vegetable soup to see who had the most by the time you finished your bowl. Well, apparently we didn’t learn to eat our fruits and veggies as kids because now that we’re adults we’re STILL not eating them!

How much should you eat?

- At least 2 servings of fruit daily
- At least 3 servings of vegetables daily

A recent report from the US Centers For Disease Control and Prevention showed that only one in every three people eat enough fruits each day. Similarly, only one in three adults eat enough veggies. Vegetable eating is even worse in kids. Only 15 percent of kids in junior high and high school eat enough fruit - that’s only about one in every 7 kids!

Wonder if you’re in the healthy minority getting enough fruits and vegetables? Check out the lists below and calculate how much you typically eat.

One serving of fruit:

- 1 banana
- 1 apple
- 1 peach
- 15 grapes
- 6 strawberries
- 1/4 cup of raisins or dried cranberries
- one-half cup of fruit juice

One serving of vegetables:

- 10 baby carrots
- 5 broccoli florets
- 1 ear of corn
- 1/2 cup of chopped veggies
- 1 cup of lettuce
- 3/4 cup of tomato juice

Order your copy of Fit As Fido for delicious and practical recipes and suggestions about how to add healthy fruits and vegetables to your diet.