It is recommended to eat two or more servings of fruits and five or more servings of vegetables per day. However, on an average men consume only 1.6 servings of fruit and 2.3 servings of vegetables on average per day, while women consume 1.8 servings of fruit and 2.5 servings of vegetables.
One serving of fresh fruit is about 150 grams, and a serving of fresh vegetables is half a cup of cooked vegetables or about one cup of salad.
Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables is known to reduce the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some types of cancer. This is based on a large amount of scientific data.
However, a number of recent studies have even shown that to reduce the risk of heart disease and the likelihood of early death, you need to eat about 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
But why do many people not follow these recommendations? Diets high in fat, sugar, and grains are generally more affordable than healthy diets high in fruits and vegetables. Additionally, fruits and vegetables cost more and spoil faster than processed foods. They take more time to prepare and require more skills.
