In Woody Allen\u2019s \u201cWhatever Works,\u201d Larry David\u2019s character complained in a very Larry David fashion, \u201cChrist, if I have to eat nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day to live, I don\u2019t wanna live.\u201d And he has a point. How the hell are we supposed to chomp down on nine portions of produce each day while still fitting in our protein, grains and occasional guilty pleasures? And what exactly is a \u201cserving\u201d anyway?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
We\u2019ve always been told to eat about five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and a January 2011 study actually suggested it should be eight if you want to seriously lower your risk of dying from heart disease. We’re with you \u2014 eight sounds like we’ll need to stuff our pockets with celery stalks and carrots so we can munch on them all day.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s dietary guidelines of 2010 recommend eating 2 cups of fruit and 2.5 cups of vegetables a day. (At least they switched to \u201ccups\u201d instead of the pyramid\u2019s mysterious \u201cservings\u201d; for the record, these measurements translate into about nine servings.)<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention takes a more individualized approach. After all, our bodies\u2019 requirements must differ with age and lifestyle, right? The CDC offers a calculator that asks for your age, sex and amount of physical activity, and spits out how many fruits and veggies you should be getting each day.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
According to the CDC\u2019s calculator, a 26-year-old female with less than 30 minutes of exercise every day \u2014 in addition to the light activity of everyday life\u00a0 \u2014 requires about 1.5 cups of fruit and 2.5 cups of vegetables each day.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
My recommended 4 cups of produce a day might still sound a little overwhelming, but it\u2019s actually not as bad as it seems.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
First of all, 1 cup of vegetables doesn\u2019t have to be a heap of raw broccoli. Fruits and veggies can be in the form of 100% juice; raw or cooked; fresh, frozen, canned or dried; and whole, chopped up or pureed. Yes, guacamole counts as a vegetable (score!).<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
To give you an idea of 1 cup of fruit<\/strong> \u2014 or two-thirds of my daily fruit intake \u2014 the CDC has provided these examples:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n To get my last \u00bd cup of fruit<\/strong>, I could (for example) eat:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n To get 2 cups of vegetables<\/strong>, I could eat two of these options:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n And I can get that last \u00bd cup of vegetables <\/strong>from a snack of 5 broccoli florets or 6 carrots.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n It\u2019s really easier than you think \u2014\u00a0and you might already be getting close to the recommended amount. For example, I have a 13.5-fluid-ounce container of orange juice every morning for breakfast. That converts to about 1.7 cups, so I\u2019m already exceeding my daily fruit intake. However, it’s important to note that the Dietary Guidelines of 2010 state that the majority of an individual’s daily fruit intake should come from whole fruit, since 100% fruit juice lacks dietary fiber.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I usually have at least two vegetables with dinner \u2014 say, 1 cup of cooked spinach for greens and 1 large sweet potato for a starch \u2014 so I knock out four-fifths of my daily vegetable intake in one meal. A snack of one celery stalk with peanut butter in the afternoon would mean I\u2019m consuming my 2.5 cups of vegetables during the day.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Applying these guidelines to real meals<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n