Fruits and Vegetables
“Eat your fruits and vegetables.” You’ve likely heard this statement since
childhood. Research shows why it is good advice:
- Healthy diets rich in fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases.
- Fruits and vegetables also provide essential vitamins and minerals, fiber, and other substances that are important for good health.
- Most fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories and are filling.
Need some new ideas for adding more fruits and vegetables to your daily diet?
-
Check
out Fruits & Veggies
Matter for tips,
recipes, and more! You can find easy ways to add more fruits and vegetables
into your daily eating patterns. Visit the fruit and vegetable of the
month pages to find seasonal fruits and vegetables, preparation tips, and
great recipes. - In addition, you can find many new ideas in our recipe database. The database enables you to find exciting fruit and vegetable recipes that fit your needs. Searching by meal, by ingredient, or by cooking needs is easy.
Not sure how many fruits and vegetables you should be eating each day?
- Visit Fruits & Veggies Matter's fruit and vegetable calculator. Here you can calculate your fruit and vegetable recommendations based on your calorie needs for your age, sex, and activity level. This site also has helpful tips and photographs of 1/2 cup and 1 cup fruit and vegetable examples.
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You can also visit MyPyramid.gov to
find more information about vegetable sub-groups and tips and ideas for
fitting healthy foods into into an overall eating plan.
Curious as to whether fruits and vegetables can help you manage your weight?
- Take a look at this How to Use Fruits and Vegetables to Help Manage your Weight brochure and learn about fruits and vegetables and their role in your weight management plan. Tips to cut calories by substituting fruits and vegetables are included with meal-by-meal examples. You will also find snack ideas that are 100 calories or less. With these helpful tips, you will soon be on your way to adding more fruits and vegetables into your healthy eating plan.
Please note: Some of these publications are available for download only as *.pdf files. These files require Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to be viewed. Please review the information on downloading and using Acrobat Reader software.
* Links to non-Federal organizations found at this site are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at these links.
Page last updated: March 6, 2008
Content Source: Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
