We know that the recommendation of nutrition experts is to take five servings of fruits and vegetables a dayAlthough I fear a majority of families we do not reach these amounts on a regular basis.
And although it may seem unattainable the introduction of five servings a day of fruits and vegetables, it is not so much if we take into account certain data that will help us understand how it is measured or what constitutes a ration.
- A serving of vegetables does not refer to the intake of a single dish, that is, you have to consider the size of the portions.
A serving of fruits depends, of course, on the size of the fruit. It is equivalent to a piece of medium fruit (pear, apple, orange, etc.), a slice of melon, watermelon or pineapple, two to three pieces of small fruit, such as plums, tangerines ..., or a cup of strawberries, cherries, grapes ... Two to four servings per day of fruit will be taken.
A serving of vegetables means, for example: a normal plate of cooked vegetables, a plate of salad, a medium-sized vegetable (eggplant, zucchini, tomato), two pieces of small vegetables (carrots, cucumbers). They will take three to five servings a day.
In short, although I am not in favor of using the exact amounts in the kitchen (in fact, I do not have a balance), in terms of weights it is considered a ration:
- 120 to 200 grams of fruit (heavy raw and clean) for adults and 80-150 grams in children's age.
- 150 to 200 grams of vegetables and vegetables (heavy raw and clean) for adults and 80-150 grams in children's age.
Five servings of fruit and vegetables on the children's menu
To reach the recommended amount, it is necessary to take fruits and vegetables at each meal. At home, I recognize that my daughters do not usually take fruit or vegetables at any of the meals (snack or dinner), although that "lost" ration is usually taken at lunchtime. At noon, there are usually vegetables accompanying the main course and dessert fruit. But it is also true that many days we stay in four portions.
The combinations, therefore, can be varied. By choosing between the options indicated below you can easily add five servings of fruit and vegetables a day. All the options are of accompaniment or dessert of the rest of the meals, we repeat that the fruit or vegetables do not constitute a single dish.
- Breakfast: a fruit or a natural juice (accompanying the rest of the healthy breakfast).
- Mid-morning: a fruit or a natural juice.
- Food: a salad or a plate of vegetables or garnish of vegetables or a dessert fruit.
- Snack: a fruit or a natural fruit juice.
- Dinner: a salad or a plate of vegetables or vegetables or a dessert fruit.
As we see, in theory it is simple introduce five servings of fruits and vegetables a day in the children's diet And of the whole family. But, in practice, do our children eat that amount of fruit and vegetables a day?
