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Most men—especially those embarking on a health-conscious journey—know that it’s important to eat fruits and vegetables every day. Still, on its own, this doesn't really tell a guy much.
Some questions need to be answered. How many servings of vegetables and fruit per day is enough? For that matter, what actually counts as a serving?
Daily Nutritional Needs
The body requires more produce each day than many people assume. According to the American Heart Association, a person should eat at least four servings of fruit and five vegetables per day.
These recommendations assume a 2000 calorie diet. Many men, however, consume more than 2000 calories—sometimes by a significant amount. While high-calorie intake can be a problem, potentially resulting in weight gain, there are also lots of men who genuinely need to consume a high-calorie total. Men who are physically active and have lots of muscle need lots of calories to function.
These realities mean that even the recommendations to eat four servings of fruit and five vegetables a day may be too low for many men. Most men need to be eating a lot more fruits and greens than they think.
What Counts As a Serving?
Serving sizes will vary for different types of produce. The American Heart Association provides some helpful basic information, including serving sizes for specific types of fruits and vegetables. Here is a quick guide you can reference.
Fruit Serving Sizes
- 1/2 cup of fresh, frozen, or canned fruit
- 1/4 cup of fruit juice or dried fruit
- One small banana
- One medium pear
- Four large strawberries
- One medium orange
Vegetable Serving Sizes
- One cup of raw leafy vegetables
- 1/2 cup of fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables
- 1/2 cup of vegetable juice
- Half of one medium potato
- One full medium carrot
- Half of one large bell pepper
- Five to eight broccoli florets
When it comes to eating fruits and vegetables, it's better to err on the side of eating too much than too little. Consuming more than the recommended amount can provide further health benefits and certainly won't hurt. The daily recommended totals are minimums, not maximums.
Why Eating Enough Fruits and Vegetables Matters
Fruits and vegetables supply the body with crucial nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, without which the body cannot work as it should. Fruits and veggies are high in fiber and antioxidants that fight free radicals, unstable molecules that cause cell damage. Fiber is connected to lower rates of obesity and cardiovascular disease.
Eating fresh, whole produce can help protect the body from many awful diseases and health problems. There is strong evidence that consumption lowers the risk for heart disease and stroke by significant amounts. High blood pressure problems are also much less likely. There is evidence that fruits and greens can protect from certain cancers as well. An increase in consumption is even associated with weight loss. Eye health depends upon fruits and veggies too.
Most Men Don't Get Enough Fruits and Vegetables
Unfortunately, fruit and vegetable intake for the vast majority of men is too low. In light of how many men today aren't quite in ideal health, this fact isn't surprising. Research shows that for adults of both sexes, only 12% consumed enough fruit. For vegetables, the numbers are even lower. Just 9% of adults ate sufficient servings of vegetables. Intake rates are lower in men than in the general population.
How To Increase Servings Each Day
The most straightforward solution is to simply eat more fruits and vegetables. Stay disciplined and prioritize produce consumption.
Individual preferences may vary, but many fruits and vegetables don’t taste all that bad. Start making small substitutions throughout the day. Maybe tomorrow we decide to swap that chocolate chip cookie after lunch for some strawberries?
Another suggestion is to follow the 1-2-3 approach; one serving of both fruits and vegetables for breakfast, two for lunch, and then three for dinner. This approach will result in eating more than the recommended minimum.
However, as already mentioned, even those minimum totals may not be enough for men who are fit and physically active. The simple reality is that busy, hectic modern lifestyles mean that even men who care about their health may find eating enough fruits and vegetables to be a huge challenge. On the other hand, giving up and consuming too few is clearly not an option.
That's where our product, Mdrive Greens, can help. Mdrive Greens isn't about replacing fruits and vegetables. Instead, the purpose is to fill in the gaps when eating enough produce in a day proves difficult. Mdrive Greens is packed with whole servings of superfood fruits and vegetables, as well as adaptogen extracts, prebiotic extracts, and antioxidants. It has a delicious natural chocolate berry flavor that isn't too sweet.