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You Need This Many Servings Of Fruit Per Day — Are You Getting Enough?

Author:

Hannah Frye

May 29, 2023

Assistant Beauty & Health Editor

By Hannah Frye

Assistant Beauty & Health Editor

Hannah Frye is the Assistant Beauty Editor at mindbodygreen. She has a B.S. in journalism and a minor in women’s, gender, and queer studies from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Hannah has written across lifestyle sections including health, wellness, sustainability, personal development, and more.

Image by Dreamwood / Stocksy

May 29, 2023

Listen, your daily menu doesn't need to be super meticulous. While tracking calories or macronutrient intake may be helpful for some people every now and then, it's certainly not required for a balanced eating plan.

Instead, just try to incorporate more whole, natural foods into your meals. Missing a serving or two of fruits and vegetables won't throw off your diet completely, but still, it may be helpful to have a specific nutrition goal in mind. Here, find a quick refresher on how much fruit to ingest daily, and what to do when you just can't reach the benchmark.

How many servings of fruit do you need a day?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) indicates most people should be consuming five to 13 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. This breaks down to about two different vegetables and three fruits.

Some larger fruits (like papaya, for example) technically count as two servings in one, whereas others like apples count as one serving per whole fruit. Either way, it's not always easy to get that much fruit in your diet.

organic veggies+

A daily smoothie can surely help pack in more servings (find some of our favorite recipes here), but there's another way to support your diet without counting your orange slices on your fingers: Take a comprehensive fruit and veggies supplement.

Many of these come in powder form, which is actually more beneficial because you can pack in loads of fruits, veggies, probiotics, fiber, and more.

While you shouldn't use these supplements to replace whole fruit servings every day, they're certainly a healthy choice when you're on the run or just can't get the full three fruits into your day.

Just make sure to look for a high-quality supplement so you're not skimping on nutrient value. Here, find a carefully curated list of our favorite fruit and veggie supplements to sneak more nutrients into your busy day.

The takeaway

Shooting for three fruits a day is a great goal, but it's not always achievable. To ensure you don't miss your daily nutrients, consider adding a fruit and veggies supplement to your routine to support your daily nutrition goals, no matter how busy you are. For more on info daily servings, check out this cheat sheet.