Nutrition Guidelines - Fruit & Vegetables

written by runnergirl training

Eating a variety of fruit & vegetables adds vitamins, minerals, fiber and water into your diet. It is best to eat a variety of colors to reap the most benefits of their abilities to strengthen the immune system, help fight off diseases & help control weight. Read further to find out what types offers such benefits! See more below!

The USDA recommends to have half of your plate at each meal with fruit and vegetables. Vegetables tend to have less sugar than fruit so consider that when choosing fruit. The USDA suggests to gave 1.5-2.5 cups of fruit per day & 2 to 4 cups of vegetables per day.

The leafy green & cruciferous types of vegetables can decrease risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, types of cancer & stroke.There are lots of other vitamin & mineral benefits from fruit & vegetables.

The following vitamin & minerals are found in these fruit and vegetables:

Selenium – broccoli

Iron – broccoli & leafy green vegetables

Manganese - potatoes

Zinc – chickpeas & types of beans

Vitamin C – citrus fruit, strawberries, papaya, vegetable that are leafy green, kale, garlic

Vitamin B6 – bananas, garlic, potatoes

Vitamin A – orange vegetables varieties (squash, sweet potatoes, carrots) & kale

Vitamin E – leafy green vegetables & types of beans, peas

Vitamin K – Kale

What’s a serving size?

Fruit:

1 banana

1 grapefruit

1 baseball sized apple

1/2 cup applesauce

1 orange

1 handful of raisins

8 strawberries

30 grapes

Vegetables:

1 ear of corn

12 baby carrots

1 sweet potatoe

2 stalks of celery

1 cup of cooked beans or peas

1 cup of uncooked greens

1/2 bell pepper

5 floret pieces of broccoli