Eat Yer Veggies Challenge, Anyone?

cjsacto
cjsacto Posts: 1,421 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Recently, someone posted a checklist for healthy habits, and the one thing almost everyone said is that they can't/don't get five servings of fruits & veggies every day. I recently read something that said the recommendation should be raised to NINE servings a day! How will we manage that?

Just for a few days, I'd love to challenge anyone who would like to participate to set a goal for fruit & veggie servings per day and post what they ate. I can't be the arbiter as to what counts as a serving (pasta sauce? ravioli filling? Odwalla smoothie?) so everyone is responsible for making that decision, though it's fine to ask questions and get input.

So, choose the number of daily servings you'd like to get and set your goal!

Here's a sample format::

=============================

Goal: 5 Servings per Day

Mon: # Servings: 5
1. 1/2 C summer squash, roasted w/skin
2. 1 C raw spinach
3. 1/4 Hass avocado
4. 1 C blueberries (frozen)
5. 1 med. banana

Tue: # Servings: 5
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Wed: # of Servings: 5
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

=========================

Is anyone in? I think it can be helpful, both to track how many you are getting, and to give ideas to those who are having a hard time getting enough or getting a good variety of fruits and veggies. If you get more servings than your goal, just keep the numbers going and list them all.
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Replies

  • nearptr
    nearptr Posts: 32
    Much too easy, Looking at the last couple of days, it seems I average about 14...

    Alright, let me see what I've got for the 23rd...

    Broccoli 250g 2.75 servings
    Banana 110g 1.00 servings
    Orange 100g 2.00 servings
    Brussels sprouts 8.4oz 2.70 servings
    Potato 130g 0.85 servings
    Carrots 7oz 2.33 servings
    Cauliflower 2.3 cups 4.60 servings

    total: 16.23 servings
  • kcoftx
    kcoftx Posts: 765 Member
    Today:

    1. 1 cup of spinach
    2. shredded carrots (approx. 1 oz. or so)
    3. 4 strips of bell pepper
    4. 1/2 cup of green beans
    5. 2 Tbsp. of green olives
    6. 2 Tbsp. of pickled jalapeños
    7. 5 mushrooms (not technically a fruit or veggie but I'm counting it)
    8. 5 raspberries (not a full serving but I ate it)
    9. garlic (probably not a full serving, but I put it in almost everything/onion family)
    10. potato (baked)

    I'm going to like this thread because I need ideas.
  • 5starshelly
    5starshelly Posts: 43 Member
    I'll Play!
    Breakfast : #1 Blueberries
    #2 Potatoes
    Lunch: #3Cherry Tomatoes, #4an apple and #5a large green Bell Pepper
    Dinner: #6 Spinach
  • kcoftx
    kcoftx Posts: 765 Member
    Some days I find I don't get many at all but today I did work on it.
  • ashleen7
    ashleen7 Posts: 258 Member
    Potatoes don't count towards your five a day, they are counted towards your starches/carbohydrates. Not sure about sweet potatoes though, so someone who knows more than I do can let me know.
  • nearptr
    nearptr Posts: 32
    @ashleen7:

    potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, parsnips, carrots, radishes, beets, and, in general, any plant root, is, indeed a vegetable, thank you very much :)

    --Mark
  • ashleen7
    ashleen7 Posts: 258 Member
    @nearptr

    When we were taught about basic nutrition and the dreaded food pyramid in school it always listed potatoes etc to be eaten as a source of carbohydrates, then to eat other vegetables to reach your target. I never said they weren't vegetables at all. But that's here in Ireland so maybe food pyramids etc differ across the world.
  • nearptr
    nearptr Posts: 32
    @nearptr

    When we were taught about basic nutrition and the dreaded food pyramid in school it always listed potatoes etc to be eaten as a source of carbohydrates, then to eat other vegetables to reach your target. I never said they weren't vegetables at all. But that's here in Ireland so maybe food pyramids etc differ across the world.

    I LOVE food pyramids!!! :D
  • ashleen7
    ashleen7 Posts: 258 Member
    @nearptr

    When we were taught about basic nutrition and the dreaded food pyramid in school it always listed potatoes etc to be eaten as a source of carbohydrates, then to eat other vegetables to reach your target. I never said they weren't vegetables at all. But that's here in Ireland so maybe food pyramids etc differ across the world.

    I LOVE food pyramids!!! :D

    Yes how accurate they are when applied to every single person is just phenomenal!
  • nearptr
    nearptr Posts: 32
    @nearptr

    When we were taught about basic nutrition and the dreaded food pyramid in school it always listed potatoes etc to be eaten as a source of carbohydrates, then to eat other vegetables to reach your target. I never said they weren't vegetables at all. But that's here in Ireland so maybe food pyramids etc differ across the world.

    I LOVE food pyramids!!! :D

    Yes how accurate they are when applied to every single person is just phenomenal!

    Around here, I've never actually seen a three-dimensional version, so they're really triangles, not pyramids. How different a place the world would be if those anonymous minds had conceived food rectangles (or cubes or prisms!). I suppose we shall know in a decade or two...
  • cjsacto
    cjsacto Posts: 1,421 Member
    I believe the Food Pyramid has now gone the way of the Four Basic Food Groups of my childhood. In the US I the trend is towards a new graphic of how a dinner plate should look. (Not sure how widely used it is but I've seen it on the news.)
    http://www.theportionplate.com/?gclid=CNaDu9bdsrQCFYl7Qgodg3EALg
  • nearptr
    nearptr Posts: 32
    I believe the Food Pyramid has now gone the way of the Four Basic Food Groups of my childhood. In the US I the trend is towards a new graphic of how a dinner plate should look. (Not sure how widely used it is but I've seen it on the news.)
    http://www.theportionplate.com/?gclid=CNaDu9bdsrQCFYl7Qgodg3EALg

    The Portion Plate! A registered trademark no less! What's with the DVD and the mouse and the baseball lol, and what is that, a deck of cards lol?

    Thanks for the link. Those poor kids.
  • nearptr
    nearptr Posts: 32
    "all plates are dishwasher safe" lol
  • cjsacto
    cjsacto Posts: 1,421 Member
    Wait - sorry, that's one commercial product. The objects were supposed to represent the size of a reasonable portion - a meat portion is the size of a deck of cards, etc.

    Here's the "My Plate" USDA site, that's the official one: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

    This is what's on classroom posters these days: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/images/MyPlateImages/JPG/myplate_green.jpg
  • nearptr
    nearptr Posts: 32
    Just a fork.
  • cjsacto
    cjsacto Posts: 1,421 Member
    I can see the whole thing in my browser at the link, but I guess it is pretty large. I tried to paste here but it's too big and gets cut off. It's a plate with four sections and a little bowl off to the side for dairy.

    "Just a fork" lol, that'd be hilarious if it weren't so sad as far as teaching kids what to eat.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,995 Member
    Will try to get to 9 in the future. Yesterday:

    100g seedless grapes
    1 Dried fig (so not a full serving)
    3 Chicken and vegetable gyoza (so not a full serving, contains something green that looks like chopped spinach)
    1 kiwi
    2 mandarin
    1 sharon fruit
    75g lentil soup (not a full serving, contains tomato and onion)
    50g edamame in shell (not a full serving)
    63g green salad
    150g baked squash

    So about 7 or so.
  • Bean5
    Bean5 Posts: 84 Member
    Lol this reminds me of the "5 for 5" challenge I would have when my kids were smaller. 5 fruits and veggies for 5 consecutive days won the prize. Our rules were that fruit juice only counted for one serving, no matter how much you drink, and fries don't count at all. Let me tell you, bananas were the secret weapon to meeting this challenge.
  • mfp_1
    mfp_1 Posts: 516 Member
    How do you measure squash with a cup?

    Is it dried powdered squash?
  • brevislux
    brevislux Posts: 1,093 Member
    Today so far (it's noon):
    1. 7 strawberries.
    2. 1/2 dragon fruit.
    3. 1 orange

    This evening I'll add there:
    4. 1/4 cabbage
    5. 1 carrot
    6. 2 black olives
    7. 1/3 avocado
    8. 1/4 beet

    How would you know what counts as one serving exactly?
  • cass678910
    cass678910 Posts: 34 Member
    I love this idea! I am really trying to get back on track, so I think some challenges would be good for me:) I will start with 5 servings..
    none so far lol
  • cjsacto
    cjsacto Posts: 1,421 Member
    How do you measure squash with a cup?

    Is it dried powdered squash?

    One small yellow squash sliced into wedges, heaped in a measuring cup. Could have just said one squash, but they come in very different sizes and it wasn't weighed. Anyway, that was just a sample. I always think in terms of cups.
  • cjsacto
    cjsacto Posts: 1,421 Member
    Today so far (it's noon):
    1. 7 strawberries.
    2. 1/2 dragon fruit.
    3. 1 orange

    This evening I'll add there:
    4. 1/4 cabbage
    5. 1 carrot
    6. 2 black olives
    7. 1/3 avocado
    8. 1/4 beet

    How would you know what counts as one serving exactly?

    I don't have a perfect answer. Most raw chopped veggies, I have read that 1/2 cup worth is a serving. Leafy veggies (raw spinach and lettuce), one cup is a serving. One small apple, one banana, one orange, one medium size tomato, 1/2 large zucchini, etc. If I get canned or frozen (I buy frozen blueberries) I go by the packaging serving listing. Sometimes I go by the MFP search results, but they were often input by members so you can't always be sure it's an "official" serving. I have searched online for avocado servings, and some say about 1/5 of the avocado, some say 1/4 or 1/2... it's not always consistent.

    I sort of think this way: a bite is not a serving, a handful is (except for leafy veggies, then two handfuls), in a completely non-scientific method. One baby carrot - not a serving. About 6-10 baby carrots - serving.

    Here's another website with some good serving info (search for a food name in the box near the top on the right): http://nutritiondata.self.com/

    Hope that's helpful.
  • cass678910
    cass678910 Posts: 34 Member
    Okay, didn't reach my goal on the first day..bummed. I did have two restaurant meals, though, so tomorrow should be better. I am not sure how many servings exactly these are, can someone help me out?

    -1/2 Panera Greek salad-1-1/2?
    -Romaine salad (about 3-4 cups) with tomatoes-2?

    So about 3-31/2 servings today? This challenge is making me aware as to how few servings of fruits and vegetables I am getting!
  • RobynLB
    RobynLB Posts: 617 Member
    3/4 cup acorn squash
    1 large carrot
    1/2 tomato
    1/2 cup salsa verde
    1/2 banana
    1 cup cabbage
  • nearptr
    nearptr Posts: 32
    For Dec 24th:

    banana 1.00 servings
    blackberries 336g 2.36 servings
    broccoli 310g 3.41 servings
    potato 274g 1.79 servings
    carrots 278g 3.26 servings
    cherries [21] 1.00 servings
    cauliflower 332g 5.36 servings
    brussels sprouts 176.9g 2.01 servings
    oranges 162.8g 2.00 servings
    pineapple 130.8g 0.80 servings

    total: 22 servings
  • cjsacto
    cjsacto Posts: 1,421 Member
    I squeaked by today.

    12/23:
    3/4 C blueberries
    1 banana
    1 C raw baby spinach
    1/2 large beefsteak tomato
    1/4 avocado
    sliced raw yellow onion (not a whole serving)
    1/2 C Bolthouse Farms Green Goodness (not a whole serving)

    Cass: I don't know the size of the Panera salad. Have you looked on their website? They may have serving info. Probably has Romaine, tomatoes, olives? I know, I started the challenge and I barely got my servings in. It really has to become a habit.

    Nearptr: My goodness!
  • jaena4
    jaena4 Posts: 175 Member
    Yay - great idea! I'm in! Today, I think I had five, but I definitely need to pay attention and do better on this!
  • kcoftx
    kcoftx Posts: 765 Member
    Christmas Day--

    Raspberries (5)
    Blueberries (10)
    Spinach (1 Cup)
    Shredded Carrots (1-2 oz)
    Brussel Sprouts (roasted, 10)
    Bell Pepper (2 strips)
    Apple Cider (4 oz.)


    Potato (small, baked, I agree it is counted in the carbohydrates part of the food pyramid but it is also a vegetable)

    I'm not good at what constitutes a full serving so I just list what I ate.
  • haroon_awan
    haroon_awan Posts: 1,208 Member
    Some people on here need to get over it. How hard is it to eat some broccoli? I eat 900g of broccoli/cauliflower every single day.

    It's pretty easy:
    Cook it
    Put it in your mouth
    Chew it
    Swallow it

    If the taste is so bad, get some tomato ketchup or something.

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