Fruits and Veggies: Why You Need to Eat More

ByABC News
March 20, 2007, 8:39 AM

March 20, 2007 — -- So, St. Patrick's Day passed and you wore green, but did you EAT any green?

Sure, you got your annual serving of cabbage with your corned beef, but that doesn't really count. Face it: On St. Patty's Day eating cabbage is not a choice, it's almost the law.

Of course you know by now that you're supposed to eat more fruits and vegetables, and you try to get your "five servings a day." But if you're like most people, it doesn't usually happen, does it? Of course, it might help to first be clear about what a "serving" is.

Here's what health experts and the feds say equals one "serving":

To get your five-a-day, you have to eat about 2½ cups of the plant stuff daily. We're actually closing in on that amount, but much of it is in the form of fried potatoes and other fat-laden spuds -- by far the favorite veggie. For the record, cabbage is way down the list.

Truth is, for a couple of years now, health experts have been saying that five-a-day is passé. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend upgrading from 2½ cups to 4½ cups a day.

Why so much?

Because there's just too much solid evidence about the benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables. They're virtual warehouses of disease-fighting antioxidants; they're also high in nutrients like potassium, folate, fiber and more. Here are just a few of the health benefits of getting your 4½ cups a day:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is taking this seriously. So seriously, in fact, that it has recently teamed with the Produce for Better Health Foundation to kick off a new health initiative called "Fruits and Veggies -- More Matters."

Keith-Thomas Ayoob is an associate professor in the department of pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.