Do you think eating 5 - 10 servings of vegetables and fruit a day is a lot? It’s really not. In fact, most of us only have to add 1 or 2 more servings to reach Health Canada’s recommended minimum servings a day.

Vegetables and fruit come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colours and flavours and can be served in thousands of different ways, raw or cooked. With such versatility it’s easy to include them with every meal and snack.

It starts at the grocery store. Pick up a variety of fresh, frozen, canned or dried vegetables and fruit and have them on hand to use throughout the day.

What’s a Serving?

Serving size is based on nutrient values – not on a typical portion – and a portion may contain more than one serving.

Confused? Here’s a quick example: the serving size for fruit juice is ½ cup – but a juice box holds 1 cup, or 2 full servings! Eating Well With Canada's Food Guide is a great resource for knowing your serving size. Many people think that a serving is the number of times they have vegetables or fruit in a day – so 1 cup of orange juice in the morning; ½ cup of coleslaw with ½ cup of tomatoes and cucumbers on a sandwich at lunch and 1 cup of broccoli at dinner would equal 3 servings. In fact, if you look at the portion table, this equals 6 servings!

Other people think that every time they eat a different vegetable it counts as a serving – so a casserole with onions, celery and tomatoes would count as 3 servings. But if there is only ½ cup of onions, celery and tomatoes combined, a serving of the casserole counts as only 1 serving from the fruits and veggies group.

What About Young Children?

Serving size varies according to our age, and while children don't need to have as many servings as adults, vegetables and fruits are still important:

A serving for a baby or young child is about 1 tablespoon.
A serving for a preschooler is about ¼ of the adult serving.
A serving for a child in kindergarten is about ½ of the adult serving size.
By the time a child is about 8 years old, the serving size is the same as for adults.

Here are some tips on how to add more vegetables and fruit to your meals:

Breakfast

Top your cereal, yogurt or pancakes with fruit – fresh, frozen, canned or dried.
Make a yogurt sundae by layering fruit, cereal and yogurt in a tall glass.
Sprinkle half a grapefruit with brown sugar and a touch of cinnamon and broil until golden.
Add berries or other fruit to pancake batter. Grated carrot and zucchini work too.
Top a toasted half bagel or English muffin with apple or pear slices, sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg and add a slice of low fat cheese. Broil until the cheese melts.
Breakfast is when you eat, not what you eat. Try leftover pizza with lots of veggies, fruit or vegetable salads, vegetable soups or fruit crumbles.
Try dipping strips of toast or waffles in applesauce other fruit sauce. (Kids like this one!) Or use fruit as a substitute for syrup.

Snacks

Always have vegetables and fruit on hand. Keep them on the counter or in the fridge, washed and ready to go. When vegetables and fruit are in your line of sight, it’s easy to choose them as a healthy snack.
Vegetables and dip make a good snack. Make the dip with low fat yogurt or a low fat salad dressing. Try carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, pepper strips, zucchini strips and rutabaga.
Make the vegetables into the dip. Salsa and guacamole are delicious!
Sliced fruits and berries are also good for dipping. Try bananas, apples, pears, blueberries, strawberries, mango, orange sections and melon cubes. A low fat flavored yogurt or low fat cream cheese makes a good dip.
Microwave a potato for about 10 minutes. Add low fat sour cream and salsa. Or try sweet potato for a change. Serve with a bit of butter or margarine and cinnamon or nutmeg.
Try a portable salad! Combine finely shredded cabbage, carrot and sunflower seeds or raisins with a little low fat yogurt or a low calorie dressing. Place in a pita, or on a large lettuce leaf or rice wrapper and roll it up to go!
Cut an apple or pear in quarters or eighths. Spread one side of each slice with peanut butter, nut butter, butter or a cheese spread. Put two slices together like a sandwich.

Lunch

Stuff your sandwiches with a variety of vegetables and fruit like tomatoes, cucumber and leaf lettuce.
Try something new! Strips of roasted or raw bell peppers, shredded cabbage (or the packaged coleslaw in the produce section), shredded carrots or zucchini, thinly sliced onions, radishes, apples or pears all make good sandwich stuffers. To keep bread from getting soggy, pack the veggies separately and add just before eating.
Try using mashed avocado or banana as a spread for the bread.
Add sliced banana or applesauce to peanut butter sandwiches
Try adding grated carrots, shredded spinach, onions, thinly sliced mushrooms or apple to a grilled cheese sandwich.
Make it a habit to have a salad every day. Use a variety of greens such as spinach, romaine, endive or a combination. Add a variety of vegetables and fruit in season and top with a low fat dressing or vinaigrette.
Add extra vegetables to soups and casseroles or microwave leftovers, and sprinkle with cheese for a light lunch.

Dinner

Double up your servings. If you normally take one spoonful of broccoli, take two. A side salad? Have more! This will automatically add servings of the vegetables you normally eat.
Add extra fresh or frozen vegetables to your spaghetti sauce, chili, lasagna, stew or casserole.
Make pizza at home and add lots of veggies. Try zucchini, summer squash, mushrooms, onions, pepper strips, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, grated carrots, chopped spinach, arugula or pineapple. When ordering pizza ask for extra veggies and half the cheese.
Add zest to vegetables by adding herbs, butter, a bit of brown sugar, grated cheese, bread or cornflake crumbs. Vegetables are naturally low in fat so you can afford to dress them up in moderation.
Try fruit for dessert like berries sprinkled with balsamic vinegar and sugar; peaches, plums or apples sprinkled with cinnamon or nutmeg, or apricots with vanilla yogurt.
Top cakes, puddings or ice cream with a variety of fruits.

Links:

Eating Well With Canada's Food Guide

Translated Versions of Canada's Food Guide

Dietitian Services @ Healthlink BC