The Have A Plant® Swag Shop Is Open!
START SHOPPING

What is A Serving Of Fruits & Vegetables?

Making It Simple: The Half-Your-Plate Concept

What does a serving of broccoli look like? How many baby carrots are in a cup? Even the most well-versed nutrition professionals don’t have all these measurements memorized! So let’s make it easier: fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables at each meal or eating occasion.

Making fruits and vegetables the focal point of every meal will help you meet your recommended amount each day—and you won’t have to do all the math!

The healthy MyPlate icon developed by the USDA supports this concept … fill half your plate with colorful fruits and vegetables at every meal!

USDA Replaces MyPyramid with Healthy MyPlate Icon The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a replacement for its food pyramid [MyPyramid] in support of dietary recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans to fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables. The healthy plate icon is sectioned off to show fruits and vegetables as half of the plate making the recommendation easy to understand.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans Updated The government’s recommendations about what we should eat have been updated with a few key changes. Less sodium, added sugar and solid fat … and fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables. Read News Article

More About the Dietary Guidelines

Measuring by Cups

The number of cups of fruits and vegetables your family needs daily depends on caloric needs, which are determined by age, gender and activity level. Given the abundant variety and multiple product forms from which to choose, eating the recommended amount is easier than you think. Every step taken toward eating more fruits and vegetables helps your family be at their best!

Get a visual example of a one cup serving

Find out how much you and your family members need:

Women
Men
Girls
Boys

Other Stories