Are you eating 12 servings of fruits and vegetables per day?

The recommended amount of fruits and vegetables that should be eaten EVERY DAY is 9 to 12 servings. Wow.  So if you decide to be bold and go for 12 servings per day, that would mean if you start your day at 8am and then end your day at 8pm, you would need to have one serving of a fruit or vegetable every hour. Wow again.

It seems like a tall order to be able to accomplish that every day.

But what exactly is one serving of a fruit or vegetable? A tennis ball size portion would qualify as one serving.  So when you wake up tomorrow, try to imagine 12 tennis balls sitting there waiting for you.  Their bright yellow-greenish color sure does stand out.  Heck maybe I should keep them right on my desk so I won’t forget.

It sounds daunting but in actuality it is really not too bad to get this accomplished every day.  I mean one large green pepper would probably count as 2 servings given the size of it.  And for the the most part vegetables are not so filling, they do down easy and in general you probably will have no trouble reaching the 12 serving requirement.

I think another big plus of trying to keep up with this requirement is that it will help offset your desire for other less healthy foods. 

If you can spread out your consumption of veggies and fruits throughout the day, then it will help you avoid hunger spasms that might lead you to head for the junk food aisle.

So are you eating 12 servings of fruits and vegetables every day? If not then why not?  I think cost might be an issue here as well in addition to convenience.  To keep a ready supply of 12 servings of fruits and veggies for an entire 7 days is quite a task in my opinion.  For 7 days that would mean you would need to have enough on hand for 84 servings.  That is a lot to stuff in your refrigerator.

Maybe it is best to aim for 6 servings per day and then if you can afford it and it is convenient to add the other 6 as appropriate.

Ok off I go to get some veggies and fruits…