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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    How many servings of fruits and vegetables should I have per day?

    Related Topic
    Nutrition
    And what exactly counts as a ‘serving’?
    • 2 answers
    • Dung Pham
    • Sharon Brooks
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  • Dung Pham

    Dietitian

    Dung is an Accredited Practising Dietitian who currently works in Community Health and Private Practice as a HACC/CH dietitian and Health Coach. She has also … View Profile

    We recommend 5 serves of vegetables and 2 serves of fruit daily

    1 Serve of vegetables is equal to:
    -1 cup of salad vegetables
    -1/2 cup of dark green vegetables
    -1 medium potato
    -1/2 sweet potato

    1 serve of fruit is considered
    -1 medium piece of fruit e.g apple, orange
    -2 smaller pieces of fruit -eg. kiwi, apricots or pluma
    -1/2 cup of juice
    -4 dried apricots

    We would always encourage the consumption of fruit rather then the juice as it gives us more fibre and assists with satiety. As a general guide i often teach people that a serve of fruit is about the amount of fruit that fits in the palm of your hand ( cupped)

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  • Sharon Brooks

    Nutritionist

    Sharon, a Registered Nutritionist RNutr and Food Scientist runs a nutrition consulting business that specialises in proactive nutrition and disease prevention.Sharon runs corporate, school and … View Profile

    Hi There, Dung Pham has provided a useful response. To build on…

    The amount of fruit anf veg you need to consume also depends on your lifestyle, current health status, level of physical activity and exercise. If you participate in regular endurance training or sports such as soccer and marathon running, you may need up to 3-4 pieces of fruit per day. 

    The benefits of consuming mainly plant based diets are numerous and various; there is a reduction in risk of Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure, certain lifestyle cancers (such as bowel, liver and stomach). Research also indicates there are improvements to blood glucose control and energy levels. So, in summary, consuming more than the recommended serves of some vegetables may be more beneficial. These include leafy greens, cucumber, zucchini, tomato, mushrooms and cabbage.   

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