Eat Your Fruits & Veggies

Eat Your Fruits & Veggies

A recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that we are not eating enough of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. The CDC report stated that in 2009, 67.5% of adults ate fruit less than two times daily and 73.7% ate vegetables less than three times per day.
 
How much fruit servings per day is recommended for my child?
Children 2-3 years old should have 1 cup per day, 4-8 years old should have 1 – 1½ cups per day.
Girls and boys 9-13 years old should have 1 ½ cups per day.
Girls 14-18 years old 1½ cups per day, whereas for boys it’s 2 cups per day.
 

How many veggie servings per day are recommended for my child?
Children 2-3 years old should have 1 cup per day, 4-8 years old should have 1 ½ cups per day.
Girls 9-13 years old should have 2 cups per day, whereas for boys it’s 2 ½ cups per day.
Girls 14-18 years old should have 2 ½ cups per day, whereas for boys it’s 3 cups per day.

What about for us parents?
You serve as the best role model for your children. Let them see you eat healthy every day.
Women 19-30 years old should have 2 cups of fruits per day & 2 ½ cups of vegetables per day.
Women 31-50 years old should have 1½ cups of fruits per day & 2 ½ cups of vegetables per day.
Men 19-50 years old should have 2 cups of fruits per day & 3 cups of vegetables per day.

In addition, eating enough fruits and veggies will help with your and your children’s overall health. It helps with weight control, prevention of chronic diseases and certain cancers, heart disease, diabetes, and several other illnesses.

What counts as a cup?
An 8 ounce cup of raw fruit, fruit juice or ½ cup of dried fruit counts as a cup of fruit. An 8 ounce cup of raw or cooked veggies, two cups of leafy green veggies, or a cup of pure vegetable juice counts as a cup of veggies.

Two excellent resources to utilize are https://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org and https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2017/09/26/back-basics-all-about-myplate-food-groups. These websites have lots of examples, pictures and interactive tools to help you know how to make sure your family eats a healthy diet.

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About Nancy M. Silva, MD, FAAP

I'm a Board Certified Pediatrician. I've been in practice since 2000. I'm happily married with two children. I graduated Medical School from the State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate College of Medicine in Brooklyn, NY. My Pediatric Residency training was at University of South Florida, College of Medicine. I've been in private practice since 2000. As a medical student, I had the privilege to care for children at Kings County Hospital & Downstate Medical Center in urban Brooklyn. As a resident, I cared for children at Tampa General Hospital & All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida. These experiences helped shape the Pediatrician I am today.

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