Fruit and veggies: more does matter

  • Published
  • By Lisa Webster
  • Health and Wellness Center community dietitian
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Did you know that September is Fruit and Veggies-More Matters Month? The focus of the month is to promote the importance of eating more fruits and veggies for better health.

For many of us, it is a challenge just to get to five servings per day and statistics tell us that only 11 percent of Air Force active duty personnel at Travis meet that goal with the majority consuming only two to three servings per day. Current recommendations for fruit and veggie intake are five servings of veggies and four servings of fruit each day. This may sound insurmountable, but standard serving sizes are relatively small and the recommendation can be achieved with just a little planning. Consider the following:

a. One serving of fruit is the equivalent of a medium apple or 15 grapes.

b. One serving of veggies is half a cup cooked vegetable or one cup leafy greens.

c. Remember that canned, frozen and dried fruits and veggies count to meeting your goal, too.

d. There are many ways to meet the daily goal, such as substituting your afternoon snack of potato chips with raw veggie sticks or replacing your ice cream after dinner dessert with a frozen banana dipped in dark chocolate for that endorphin boost.

Why is there so much focus on fruits and vegetables? Simply put, fruits and vegetables can improve your overall health and potentially reduce your risk of cancer and other diseases including heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and macular degeneration. Colorful fruits and vegetables provide you with a wide range of valuable nutrients including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytonutrients and fiber. It is important to eat them every day to get the full benefit from the healthy nutrient building blocks from fruits and veggies.

To get you motivated along the way, the HAWC community dietitian and health promotion nurses encourage you to join the 9 'n 5 plan challenge kicking off in September with a buddy or team.

For more information call the HAWC at 424-HAWC (4292).