There's consensus among dietary experts, that a cup of sliced or chopped fresh fruit or vegetables is enough to count as one serving. And there's agreement we need more than one serving. At a minimum, USDA experts recommend we each day have one and one-half cup of fruits and vegetables.
But health organizations like the American Heart Association, aren't as cautious about whether we, as individuals and families, can afford enough fruits and vegetables to help us fight for health; such groups sometimes tell us more than some news sources tell us — more of what we really need in our diets. These groups tell the truth about our total health needs, and leave it up to us to budget and to find help we may need to be able to eat much more than one and one-half cup!
The American Heart Association, for example, says we need at least four to five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. That's four to five chopped cups worth of fruits and vegetables that are fresh.
A cup of sliced or chopped fresh fruit or vegetables is one serving. But we say one-half cup is a serving, if the fruit or vegetable is cooked, or if it's preserved in a can or air-tight container.
