How to Eat more Fruits and Vegetables
Most Australians are aware that they need to eat more fruits and vegetables. The general recommendation is to aim for 5 serves of vegetables and 2 serves of fruit per day. However, the reality is that only about 4% of people are meeting these guidelines! (1)
In my opinion, one of the biggest challenges is understanding what 1 serving actually is, and figuring out how to incorporate that into our meals. What does 5 serves of vegetables even look like?
This post is all about giving an understanding of what fruit and vegetable serves look like, and giving you some practical tips to sneak more fruit and veggies into your diet. Hopefully this helps you get closer to the magic “5 and 2” without feeling overwhelmed.
Understanding Serving Sizes
Vegetables: A serve is typically ½ cup or 75 grams of cooked, fibrous vegetables (like broccoli, carrots, pumpkin, or corn), or 1 cup of leafy greens or salad. Pulses like lentils and chickpeas also count towards your vegetable intake, with a serving size of ½ cup.
Fruit: A serve of fruit is usually 1 medium-sized piece, like an apple, banana, or orange, roughly equating to 150 grams, 2 small pieces such as plums or kiwifruit, or 1/2 cup of loose fruit pieces such as berries or grapes.
Breaking it down this way makes hitting your target more achievable than you might think!
Easy Strategies to Boost Your Intake
1. Aim for 2 Serves of Vegetables in 2 Meals per Day
To simplify, focus on including 2 serves of vegetables in two of your meals each day, plus one serve as a snack. Here are some examples of how to add these serves to your meals. Please note these are simply inclusions in a bigger meal that should also include protein, fats and some additional carbohydrates:
Example 1:
Lunch: Salad including ½ a tomato and 1 cup of salad leaves.
Dinner: Stir-fry including 1 cup of broccoli and carrots.
Snack: ½ cup of carrot sticks with hummus.
Total = 5 Serves
Example 2:
Breakfast: Omelette with ½ cup of capsicum and 1 cup of spinach.
Dinner: 2 cup of roasted vegetables with a protein of choice.
Snack: A snack can of chickpeas.
Total = 5 Serves
Meal Example 3:
Breakfast: Toast with ½ avocado and ½ tomato.
Dinner: Risotto with ½ cup of peas and ½ cup of asparagus.
Snack: Protein smoothie including 1 cup of spinach
Total = 5 Serves
2. Aim for 1 Serve of Fruit in 1 Meal, and 1 Serve as a Snack
Incorporating fruit can be just as easy. Here’s how to do it:
Fruit Example 1:
Breakfast: ½ cup of berries with morning granola.
Snack: 1 apple.
Total = 2 Serves
Fruit Example 2:
Breakfast: 1 banana mashed into breakfast pancakes.
Lunch: A salad with an orange sliced and included.
Total = 2 Serves
Fruit Example 3:
Snack: 1 apple.
Lunch: ½ cup of mango slices in a chicken panini.
Total = 2 Serves
Bonus Tips to Make Things Easier
Some vegetables, like a whole large tomato or potato, count as two serves, so you’re getting more bang for your buck by eating these items.
Don’t forget pulses count too—add ½ can of beans, lentils, or chickpeas to your meals or snacks to boost your intake effortlessly.
Sneak fruits and vegetables where you can. Adding some spinach to your smoothies, grated apple over your morning cereal, or ½ cup of lentils to your salad are all great ways to consume more without even realising.
Final Thoughts
Incorporating more fruits and vegetables into your diet doesn’t have to be complicated. By strategically adding them to your meals and snacks, you’ll find it’s easier to reach the recommended intake and enjoy the health benefits that come along with it. It is important to note that you should increase your fruit, vegetable and fiber intake gradually, as sometimes drastic increases may result in some GI distress. Start small, use these tips, and have fun increasing your fruit and vegetable intake!
References: