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Q. What is a serving of fruits or vegetables?

From Shereen Jegtvig,
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Nutritionists say to eat five servings of fruit and vegetables a day, but, what's a serving size? Is it one apple? Two carrots? Three large strawberries? Four Brussels sprouts? What about a large glass of tomato or orange juice?

When you say five servings, do you mean five fruits and five vegetables, or do you mean something like three fruit and two vegetables or two fruit and three vegetables?

V-8 now offers a drink of mixed fruit and vegetables. How far will a large glass of that go to meet what you suggest?

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A. The United States Department of Agriculture sets a serving size for fruit or vegetables to be equal to about one-half cup. Greens like spinach and lettuce have a serving size equal to one full cup. One serving of sliced fruit is equal to one-half cup; however a single piece of fruit, such as an apple or an orange counts as one serving. How did the USDA decide that one-half cup is a serving size? The decision was based on the portion sizes that people typically eat, ease of use and nutritional content of fruits and vegetables.

Many experts suggest we need from five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day. That is a total. Older or inactive women and smaller children need at least three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit. Growing kids, teen girls, most men and active women would eat at least four servings of vegetables and three servings of fruit every day. Teen boys and active men should eat at least five servings of vegetables and four servings of fruit. Unfortunately many people fail to eat even five servings each day.

Here are some typical serving sizes for fruits and vegetables:

Fruits

  • one banana
  • six strawberries
  • two plums
  • fifteen grapes
  • one apple
  • one peach
  • one half cup of orange or other fruit juice
Vegetables
  • five broccoli florets
  • ten baby carrots
  • one roma tomato
  • 3/4 cup tomato juice
  • half of a baked sweet potato
  • one ear of corn
  • four slices of an onion
You may notice that serving sizes on the Nutrition Facts Label of packaged fruits and vegetables are not always the same size as the one-half cup serving size that the USDA has set for the food pyramid. For example, some frozen vegetable blends may list the serving size as 3/4 cup, which would meet one and one half of your vegetable need for the day.

One serving of a fruit or vegetable juice is four ounces. V8 Fusion claims to meet one serving of fruit and one serving of vegetables in one eight ounce glass. A large glass may hold about 12 ounces, which would give you three servings of fruits and vegetables.

Sources

Nutrition Insights. "Serving Sizes in the Food Guide Pyramid and on the Nutrition Facts Label: What's Different and Why?" USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. March 1999.

"Dietary Guidelines for Americans." USDHHS. Updated October 2006.

Updated: April 3, 2008
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