I love fruit, but I think the USDA suggestions are insane. Who eats 5 apples in a day? My 21 year old son? If the majority of your carbs for the day come from some source with natural fiber--fruits/vegetables/whole grains, etc., I think you're better off.

Here is a link that might be useful: Serving size

I most always eat 2-3 pieces of fruit/day. Veggies are harder & I'm lucky to get a couple servings.

I could live on fruit & be quite happy. I use fruit as snacks and as part of a meal. Actually, a meal isn't complete here without fruit of some sort.

My family sent me care packages of fresh fruit when I moved from CA to CO and continued when we moved to NH (worse than CO). Now, there's a reasonable supply here in New England year around but still nothing like 'home'.

Growing up, we always had crates of oranges, grapefruits, & lemons piled up in the garage. I never had anything except fresh squeezed OJ until I moved to CO & was horrified at the cost of oranges. DH always special orders me 6 boxes of fresh figs every year (He's such a good DH!).

The veggies though...hmmm. I have to admit that I really don't like anything that has a "head" on it, except lettuce! lol That would include asparagus, brocolli, cauliflower, etc. Also HATE HATE HATE peas popping in my mouth. Nope, won't eat 'em. I will eat dried peas though & peapods...just not those little green balls. (grin) Also refuse to eat green peppers. They pollute anything within 5 miles, IMO. Red peppers are better than green but I still would never purchase them. I can gag 'em down though if in public & confronted with the darn things. Usually, I'm pretty good at avoidance.

God created vitamin pills for those of us that get all gaggy just thinking about a whole pan of roasted veggies (well, except potatoes!).

Tricia (who had half a fresh papaya & a banana for lunch)

How do I? I don't.

Are you watching cholesterol or calories too? If not, you might enjoy an apple paired with cheddar cheese. That's the only way I eat them other than apple sauce.

I'm not a big fruit fan either, but I really enjoy strawberries that have been frozen with sugar then thawed out. Some of them buzzed in the blender to make a sauce. Then add mango, cantelope, bananas, kiwi, etc. It's particularly good over vanilla ice cream.

You might prefer stewed fruit over raw. Or smoothies?

That said, I don't get the recommended amount - ever. I get plenty of veg, though.

I eat either an apple, orange, or banana most days. Sometimes grapes. When in season I eat blueberries just about every day. Some days I eat 2 or 3 of them in combination, but usually it's at least one. I try to eat salad every day and I try to have at least 2 veggies at suppertime. Some days I eat nothing but fruits and veggies all day and other days I don't eat any! Over the course of a week, I probably get close to the mark for what I'm supposed to have altho I'm very erratic.

Tucking veggies into other things is a good idea - like with your omelettes. Soup is another good way to incorporate 4-5 even more veggies into a meal.

Do you like smoothies? I buy bags of frozen fruit at Costco. If I remember right it has grapes, strawberries, honeydew melon, pineapple, and peaches in it. It might have cantelope as well, but I'm not positive. Anyway, I throw a container of yogurt and some skim milk or orange juice in the blender, then fill it up with the frozen fruit and blend. You get that frozen slushy effect because the fruit is frozen and depending on the yogurt and what you add, you can make it to your own taste. You can use any fruit juice you like, or none at all. That's a good way to work some more fruit into your diet.

Lisa

Fruit doesn't have to be plain - things I like are : apples slices with a brown sugar dip, smoothies, strawberry shortcake, caramelized apples, pies, mango salsa, etc.

I've been making smoothies everyday for breakfast.

This mornings had:

sunflower sprouts
fresh spinach
lettuce
strawberries
blueberries
peaches

I liquify the greens first w/some distilled water (in the food processor) then add the fruits, as much as you like, adding more water as you need it.

Drink up!

I don't even try to get those 4 servings of fruit because I just don't really like fruit very much. Fortunately, I love veggies and if you check the nutritional stats the same types of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants are available in both fruits and vegetables. I think they got broken up into servings of fruits/vegetables to encourage people to eat a wider range of foods.

That said, I'm not an enthusiastic breakfast eater, I'm really bad about it. I will have a glass of V-8 with a slice of toast for breakfast or a bowl of yogurt over fresh fruit, but not until about 10 am. I have been known to put apple sauce on a pancake. Lunch always includes two, sometimes three vegetables and I have an apple, a pear or some carrots for a snack, or celery and hummus for a snack. Right now I'm eating red pepper strips. I have a couple more vegetables for supper and usually a salad or cole slaw or some vegetable soup. I figure I'm up to about 6 or 7 by that time and I'll have grapes, raisins, a cup of that vegetable soup or maybe some more hummus with celery as a snack. Some days I eat even more vegetables than that, some days less.

I do like berries, so I often have blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, etc. with yogurt for breakfast.

Annie

I like all kinds of fruit and I love fruit and yogurt smoothies. But vegetables kill me, especially greens and most especially broccoli. I must force myself to eat them. I prefer them roasted or raw. I do like quick-sauteed spinach, so I try to keep that in my fridge.

I don't even try. Moderation in all things. Why on my cheese steak tonight I had tomatoes and onions - there you go, two veggies!!

I can assure you, even the people who publish those silly diet recommendations don't last a month on their own diet. These suggestions work only if you obsess all day every day with planning and preparing food. Who has time for that.

Eat a reasonably healthy, well balanced diet and over the course of a month, you'll probably get all the stuff you need.

Sometimes I'll have fruit with breakfast but not every day. We do get plenty of vegetables though because I usually put at least four all together in the steamer and then potatoes, yams and onions to bake in the toaster oven as part of our midday dinner.

We also have mixed salads regularly.

Since we keep a fruit bowl as well as a bowl of tomatoes on the dining room table, we'll often peel a banana, pear or orange as dessert, since they're right there beside us. In the evenings I often make a bowl of sliced apple, grapes or pear which we both nibble on in front of the TV. So I don't think we get 5 +4 every day but pretty close to it. I make breakfast smoothies sometimes when I have a variety of fruit and juice on hand. Neither of us have ever taken vitamins or any other kind of pills.

SharonCb

Is that what they say? I've heard at least 5 servings of fruit and veggies every day, but I haven't heard the 5+4. I love both fruit and veggies, so it's not a problem for me to eat lots of both, but I doubt I eat as much as they recommend if that's what they're saying these days - maybe I do. I have berries at breakfast, and some kind of fruit at lunch, such as an apple, orange, grapes, or plum, peach, etc, depending on what's in season. In the evening I'm less likely to eat fruit, but I do usually have veggies.

As for the veggies, I almost always have a mixed green salad for lunch if it's warm, which is most of the time in Texas, or I'll have a thermos of soup to which I've added some kale or spinach or some other green, as well as a bit of chopped onion and maybe some chopped celery, just to flesh it out a bit. Then I'll have 2 or 3 or more helpings of various veggies for supper, depending on the situation.

Remember, not all fruit is sweet fruit. Think about tomatoes, eggplant and peppers - they're fruit. Peppers are very high in vitamin C, so if you don't like oranges, try peppers instead.

Also, think about what time of year it is. Those of you that don't like fruit might consider trying to find the freshest fruit that is in season right then, and buy locally. It does make a difference - if it's possible to find locally grown fruit. Try different varieties. If the only apple I'd ever tasted was delicious, I wouldn't think I like apples either. There's quite a difference in how apples taste from one variety to another, so experiment.

Actually, I don't understand a blanket statement such as "I don't like fruit" since one kind of fruit tastes so different than another kind of fruit. Avocados taste completely different from apples, which taste completely different from, well, the proverbial orange, which tastes completely different from watermelons, which tastes completely different from peppers, and so on.

Sally

I don't think anyone is likely to follow those guidelines. Think about it: five half-cup servings of vegetable is two and a half cups of vegetables. I can eat that much salad, but only because it packs loosely. Otherwise, you're eating the equivalent of a whole meal of vegetables.
Here's my usual intake: breakfast, no fruit or vegetable; lunch is always yogurt with an apple or some grapes, or a smoothie made of yogurt, a banana, and pineapple juice; dinner almost always includes salad or a vegetable. Sometimes I have guacamole in the evening, so that's a vegetable snack. That's about it.
Things are different in the summer, when I eat a lot of peaches.
I am surprised to see that a bunch of you said you like vegetables better then fruit. I thought that was only Annie!

Foodie:
Does Peach or Apricot brandy count as a fruit ???

Than there is a Pins Colada Smoothie or Strawberry Smoothie

You talked me into it. I'll start with Peach Brandy
Lou

I'm another person who doesn't care much for sweet fruits. It's a matter of personal taste, of course, but I've never been overly fond of sweets and sweet fruits just don't appeal to me. I'll eat them, but I either have to be in the mood or someone has to just plain force them upon me. For example, my husband will peel a large orange and give me half.

Vegetables, on the other hand, I love. I just think I'm one of those people who enjoys savory tastes more than sweet tastes. Even as a teenager, after eating a super sweet dessert of some sort, I'd want to top it off with something made with onions. I just had to get that sweet taste out of my mouth. I'm still the same today.

Is it really 5 vegetable servings PLUS 4 fruit servings? I thought it was just five servings of either/or.

To help my hubby get his fruits I keep a variety of fruits ready to eat in the fridge and put them out with each meal. Right now we have (all cleaned, cut if needed, and ready to eat) blackberries, strawberries, watermelon, and black, red, and green seedless grapes. There are also apples, bananas, and raisins to go with oatmeal, as well as orange and grape juice. I know my hubby will eat his veggies, but he never eats fruit outside the house. I often have cheese with wheat crackers and fruit salad as a afternoon snack, or sometimes for a quick and easy lunch.

Joanne

Sally, I do eat locally. In fact, I grow my own apples and get pears from a neighbor. I also just started growing my own grapes. I pick sweet cherries at a local orchard for $1 a pound if I pick my own, ditto peaches

I grow watermelon and muskmelon in the garden. It doesn't make any difference, I'm not much more excited about an apple plucked directly from my own tree than I am one that's been shipped across the country. They're OK, but nothing I go wild over.

Avocados are OK. Pomegranites and kiwi make my mouth sore so I never eat them. Plums are nice.....in plum sauce. Bananas are icky and mushy and I refuse to eat them at all, not even in banana bread or banana cream pie. Grapes are minimally acceptable, as long as they aren't frozen. I don't like them frozen at all, in spite of all those Weight Watcher tips telling me it's just like eating ice cream. Maybe it is, I don't care for ice cream much either!

shambo, maybe you're right about the sweet/savory thing, because I don't go wild over sweet stuff, but I like chips, pretzels, the salty/crunchy stuff.

So, it appears that since I wouldn't drink brandy for any reason and I don't care for smoothies since they are too much like ice cream and it doesn't make a difference whether they are local or not, I'll have to stick with my veggies. I just ate a whole pint of collard greens for lunch, I figure that counts for FOUR servings, LOL.

I do love fresh tomatoes and peppers from the garden, so I eat a lot of those in the summer and they are both technically fruits. Oh, and cucumber, which is actually a fruit and is related to muskmelon.

Annie

Yeah, I guess I was preaching to the choir. I realized after I posted that there is a fruit I just don't like, and it's bananas. I'm with you on that one, Annie.

Sally

Well I'm glad I'm not the only one having a bit of a time with this - although I might be the only one who cares!

I just went on the USDA site and yes, it's not 5 servings of fruit and vegetables, it's 5 servings of vegetables AND four servings of fruit. Actually it turns out that at my age/gender I should be eating THREE cups of vegetables a day!

They seem to use the colloquial definition of vegetable, not the scientific. So tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. are vegetables.

Here is a link that might be useful: USDA food pyramid

Remember, foodonastump, that the government also classifies catsup as a vegetable, so you could load up on the Heinz with a bunch of McDonald's fries and get a couple of servings of vegetables that way. LOL Not healthy, but still vegetable servings....

I'm having mushroom and barley soup for lunch, no meat, just onions, celery, mushrooms, barley, chicken stock and some seasonings. I figure that's good for at least three servings.

Annie

I am another that prefers savory over sweet.
Offer me an apple or a bell pepper for a snack and I'll pick peppers every time.
Green salad over Fruit Salad. Roasted asparagus over applesauce as a side to pork.
That said, I do like berries or peaches mixed into yogurt with a handful of oatmeal tossed in.
I love bananas. Ultimate fast food breakfast for me. Add a granola bar if I'm really hungry.

If I want something sweet....give me a homemade cookie!!!

One way to incorporate fruit is to make cobblers. Lots of fruit, oatmeal/flour/sugar or other sweetener/oil or butter mixed for the topping. good way to get in that oatmeal too!

Deanna

Triciae,

Can you share where you husband orders fresh figs from? I can get them locally but they always look bad even at the store. I'd love to order some next season.

Pretty much all the fruit I eat are what most people call vegetables: lots of peppers, eggplant, tomatoes.

I don't eat citrus, apples, pears, stone fruits or most berries. I will eat the occasional banana or some melon, but not watermelon. I'm not going to feel guilty about it either, because I really don't like them at all.

That said, I don't think I've ever met a vegetable I didn't like except beets.

dktrahan,

Yep, he orders them from Passion Fruit Farms somewhere close to Merced. I was born in Merced & still have some family in the area. They sent them to me for a while & now DH orders them.

/tricia

I prefer savory over sweet, but in spite of that I love fruit and veggies. However, I don't like fruit that's been changed into something sweeter than it naturally is. My sister likes to add sugar to strawberries. I don't understand why, but she doesn't think they're sweet enough on their own. To me, adding sugar ruins strawberries. I also don't like jams and jellies because they're too sweet. I'd rather have my biscuit plain or with a tiny bit of butter, but no jelly. The only dried fruit I like are dried cranberries, and I've just discovered I like dried apricots, because DH's cousin makes a killer oatmeal cookie with dried apricots, and they're the only oatmeal cookies I've ever liked. Most people ruin them with raisins. (Again, give me fresh grapes, but not raisins.) I'm planning on posting on the cook-a-thon about those cookies when I have more time.

Sally

I don't. The FDA is nuts. In a few years they will tell you something entirely different. If I ate like they say you should I would bigger than the side of the .... well you get my drift. Just be sensible with your diet and eat everything in moderation.

I have to agree with all the posters here. The FDA will change its mind sooner or later.

As a fruit and veggie lover, I don't even eat that many! Actually, I don't count.

I think a great way is to add veggies and fruits in to what you are already eating. If you are having pasta, sauce is already full! But, you can just dice up a zuchini, put half of that in, save the other half of cut zuchini in a ziplock for the next day, and call that a full day's worth of veggies and fruit! Remember, tomatoes are fruits so sauce is a great way for those who don't like sweet fruits to get some in their diets.

I also drink only "real" juices. I end up paying more for them than I would for the other kind that is too clear and sweet, but I know I'm getting some servings in that way.

If you bake desserts, add dates or raisins. Soups work wonders for adding up the veggies.

Since we don't eat sweet desserts, we usually have plain yoghurt with fruit. Pitted cherries are a favourite, blueberries are too. Fresh or frozen works great!

We try not to count.

I have to say I'm a little surprised at the anti-UDSA or FDA sentiment here. Yes, their recommendations change as new research and developments come about, but is that grounds to question whether their recommendations are based on the most current, sound findings? I'm in my forties, and in my recollection there have been slight changes in emphasizing fruit and vegetables more than grains once were, but overall the pyramid hasn't changed a whole lot. Yes, we can cite individual examples, like the egg which was once good for you then bad, and now ok in moderation. But overall, I don't think there's been a particularly contradictory statement, at least not in my lifetime.

At this point I have no reason to believe that the USDA's re-evaluation of their nutritional recommendations every five years has any other motive than to promote the best standard of living based on current science. Am I being naiive?

The counter-argument that I find the most absurd is that we're living longer than ever before. Yes we are, but don't you think that's because of medicine and DESPITE our diets, not DUE to our diets?

I agree with foodonastump, the USDA mypyramid guidelines are research based, and guidelines for servings from different food groups that will provide a healthy diet for most people. Adults should aim to get 2 cups of fruit and 3 cups of veggies each day. Sounds like a lot, but it's not if you make the effort to include fruits and/or veggies at each meal or snack. We (or much of the US population) sure eat lots of other stuff each day - snack foods, fast foods, desserts, drinks, meat, cereal, whatever - and in large quantities for many people, that's why so many people are overweight. Most people are not used to eating that many servings of fruits & vegetables, but it could break down like this:

breakfast: 4-6 oz oj & a large banana (there is 1 1/2 servings right there) along with whatever else you eat

lunch: one cup pepper strips, carrot slices, & cucumbers
with your sandwich that has lettuce & tomato, or a large bowl of vegetable soup (homemade to get lots of veggies)

snack: small apple or some other kind of fruit

dinner: half your plate should be vegetables...so two one cup servings of some kind of veggie -- vegetables fill you up so there is theoretically less room for the heavier stuff. One cup of veggies is really not that much. A 1/2 cup serving is quite small.

I have a fruit/protein smoothie most days for breakfast:

1/2 - 1 banana
~1/2 cup each frozen mango & blackberries or blueberries
~1/2 cups 1% milk
1 scoop protein powder (blueberries & cream Spirutein mostly)
~1 TBSP ground flax

Whiz it up in the blender, it's great and I'm done with most of my fruit for breakfast.

Today was a bad fruit & veggie day for me...we had blueberry whole grain pancakes for breakfast w/scrambled eggs & ham & I did have ~8oz tangerine juice. But then I went to my friends 50th birthday party for most of the afternoon and they had lots of food (protein & starch - a great caterer but I'm not sure why they didn't suggest some better menu planning) but not a fruit or veggie in sight! Lots of wine too. I will not have dinner as I]m really pretty stuffed. This is an unusual day for me, and I will get back on a more healthy track tomorrow.

We love fruits and veggies so it's not hard to do. We start off most days with a big fruit smoothie. We also buy a vegetable/fruit juice which DS gets minimally once a day in his lunch. And we try to have 2 servings of veggies with dinner.

But this is just normal eating habits for us. I'm not consciously trying to meet any standards.