The latest research on nutrition concludes no matter how healthy you’re eating, you could add more fruits and vegetables to your diet. Carol Voss is a nutrition specialist with the Iowa State Department of Public Health. She says the idea is basically that no matter what your current consumption is of fruit and vegetables, you could add some.
If you’re eating three servings a day, she says you could add a snack that’s one more serving. "The idea is, more does matter," Voss says. She ponders the question, "Can you eat too many fruits and vegetables?" Voss concludes the answer is no. "Some people could need as many as six and-a-half cups per day, depending on your age or your gender." There’s little risk that you’ll get fat, no matter how many servings you pile on, she says.
Though the things we add, like butter and sauces, can add a lot of calories, they’re naturally low in the fruits and veggies themselves, which also contain lots of healthy fiber. "Just eating fruits and vegetables their delicious way they are by themselves is a delicious way to keep those calories down." She says a good visual guideline is to see that your total vegetable and fruit servings cover just about half your plate. A website called " Fruits and Veggies More Matters " offers more advice on what your needs may be and just how many vegetables you should be consuming.