Q: I just heard that I’m supposed to be eating nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Is this true? Is it humanly possible? —Denise Condon, Aspen, CO

A: Before you panic, that recommendation is based on the number of calories you eat. It comes from the latest federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommend five to 13 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, based on a calorie range of 1,200 to 3,200 calories a day.

Before you freak out at the thought of consuming 13 fruits and veggies a day, consider that if your daily calorie count is at the lower end of the calorie spectrum, you’d shoot for fewer servings, and vice versa. Nine servings is the average, based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet. The point here is to make sure that a good part of what you eat each day is health-promoting fruits and vegetables, which are full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber.

Eating nine servings a day is indeed possible! But it does take a little planning. And like any other habit, once you get started it gets easier and easier to get your recommended servings in each day.

Consider this sample action plan containing four servings of fruit and five servings of vegetables, for a total of nine servings:


Fruit smoothie made with:

• 1 cup plain, low-fat yogurt
• 1/2 cup orange juice (fruit serving #1)
• 1 cup frozen fruit, such as mango or blueberries (fruit servings #2 and #3)

• Bowl of vegetable bean soup (veggie serving #1)
• Mixed green salad topped with a hard-boiled egg, or a chicken Caesar salad, each made with 2 cups lettuce or mixed greens (veggie servings #2 and #3)

• One medium apple, sliced, with peanut butter (fruit serving #4)

• Broiled fish or roasted chicken
• Wild rice
• 1 cup of sauteed mixed vegetables, such as zucchini, onions, snap peas, carrots, and red pepper (veggie servings #4 and #5)

Bon appétit!


One fruit serving equals:

• 1 medium whole fruit, such as an apple, orange or banana
• 1/4 cup dried fruit
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh or frozen fruit
• 1/2 cup 100% fruit juice

One veggie serving equals:

• 1 cup of leafy vegetables, like lettuce and other greens
• 1/2 cup chopped raw or cooked vegetable
• 1/2 cup vegetable juice