12 Baby Carrots, Please!

Some of you may be fruit and vegetable fanatics, like me. Others may be less enthused by dark leafy greens, bright yellow squash, and ruby red raspberries. Regardless of your interest in consuming fruits and veggies, it is useful to know how much you are consuming - and whether or not you're consuming enough. 


As I've expressed in previous posts, my attitude on eating styles is to pick a culture that has been in existence for a long time and eat according to the way they eat. Whether it is the Mediterranean Diet, the Asian Diet, the Latin American Diet, or even the African Diet, the common factor among these food cultures remains the same: eat lots of fruits and veggies! I'm talkin' like cups worth of fruits and vegetables every day. Not just two or three cups...like a good five or six of 'em. And that means both fruits and vegetables, not just one or the other.


So how much is a "cup" of vegetables exactly? Although the USDA dietary guidelines have not done much in the way of improving the food culture in the United States, they have developed some wonderful charts that tells us "what counts as a cup of ____". Obviously a measured cup of anything means you are eating one cup of that fruit, vegetable, grain, etc. (duh!); but some of these more obscure recommendations are useful to know. Take a look: 


What counts as a cup of vegetables: 
--12 baby carrots
--2 stalks of celery
--1 large baked sweet potato
--3 large spears of broccoli (that includes the tree part and the stalk!)
--1 large bell pepper
--1 cup raw or cooked _____(take your pick!)
What counts as a cup of fruit: 
--32 seedless grapes 
--8 large strawberries
--1 large orange
--1 large banana
--1 small apple
--1 medium peach
--1/2 cup dried fruit
--1 cup measured ____(whatever fruit you like!)
**FYI the following fruits are really high in sugar, so don't go overboard eating them: grapes, bananas, cherries, mango, figs, and any type of dried fruit

Surprised by the one cup equivalents? Do you think you're eating more or less fruits/veggies than you thought? I know it can be tough to get in a good amount of fruits and veggies throughout the day, especially when you're not a fan of them. But there are endless health benefits from eating fruits and veggies, so consuming them is really something you should get your body and taste buds used to doing. Next time you are wondering what to eat for a snack or side dish, just say "pass me 12 baby carrots please" - at least you've got one cup down!