recommended 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day

The American Cancer Society recommends eating 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day to help prevent cancer. These foods contain important vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and antioxidants and are usually low in calories. In general, those with the most color – dark green, red, yellow, and orange – have the most nutrients.
Eating at least 5 servings of vegetables and fruits each day may or may not be that hard to do when you look at how much 1 serving really is:

• ½ cup of fruit
• 1 medium piece of fruit
• ¼ cup of dried fruit
• ½ cup (4 ounces) of 100% fruit or vegetable juice
• 1 cup of leafy vegetables
• ½ cup of cooked or raw vegetables

Trying to visualize the serving sizes?:

• 1 medium apple or orange = the size of a tennis ball
• 1 cup vegetables or fruit = the size of a baseball
• 1 medium potato = the size of a computer mouse
• 1 cup of lettuce = 4 leaves

Snack your way to 5 a day

Try the snack suggestions below to help reach your daily fruit and vegetable goal.

• Keep dried fruits and vegetable juice boxes in your desk drawer and glove compartment.
• Keep a bowl full of fresh veggies and fruits on your kitchen counter.
• Short on time? Look for pre-washed, pre-cut. organic vegetables, such as baby carrots and broccoli florets, at the grocery store. Dip them in non-fat ranch dressing for extra zip.

edamame basil toss salad

1 package (15 ounce size) frozen edamame, shelled
1 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
balsamic vinaigrette dressing, to taste

Boil edamame for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water until cool.  
Toss with tomatoes, basil and yellow bell pepper. Add dressing.

eat edamame

These protein-packed pods were once a rare treat found only in Japanese restaurants. But now they’re staples in the frozen-foods aisle, serving as a healthy snack or delicious side. It’s hard to beat the nutrition of whole soybeans. They’re 60% richer in calcium than peas, a source of cancer-fighting isoflavones and vitamin E, and a great vegetable source of complete protein. For a snack, sprinkle steamed edamame pods with olive oil and sea salt; pop the beans out and discard the pods.