Bloom Healthy:
Bloom Healthy provides fresh fruits and vegetables to different areas in New York, such as New Rochelle, Yonkers, and the Bronx.
Benefits of Fruits and Vegetables:
Fruits are absent of cholesterol.1 Also, fruits provide different necessary nutrients that the body needs, such as potassium, Vitamin C, fiber, and folate.1 Potassium (K) is an element found in some fruit that helps regulate good blood pressure in the body, such as bananas and dehydrated peaches.1 Fiber can be found in fruits are essential to lower cholesterol in the blood and reduce the likelihood of heart disease, such sliced or entire fruit.1 Also, fiber is vital for regulating the bowel system.1 Fruit has Vitamin C that ensures wholesome teeth and gums, the restoration and production of tissues, and effortlessly consuming iron in the body.1
Vegetables have little calories and fat.2 Like fruits, vegetables also provide numerous vital nutrients such as fiber, potassium, and Vitamin C.2 However, vegetables have unique Vitamin A.2 The vegetables that contain potassium are potatoes and tomato base commodities.2 Vitamin A is essential to maintain eyes and skin health and aids to defend against diseases.2
Measurement of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Daily:
Measuring the number of fruits and vegetables based on serving sizes can be confusing, so measuring fruits and vegetables based on cups is easier to understand. All you need at home is a measuring cup that can measure different units of cups from ¼ cup to 1 cup like this one:
Thus, the United States Department of Agriculture used the measurements of cups for the daily consumption of fruits and vegetables. Based on your age and gender in the two tables below, you can look at the quantity of cups of fruits and vegetables that you need to consume daily.
The everyday suggestion for the number of fruits and vegetables based on age for females (U.S. Department of Agriculture (n.d.a), (n.d.b)):
|
Age group (years old) |
Serving of Fruits based on cup measurements |
Serving of Vegetables based on cup measurements |
|
12-23 months |
½ to 1 cup1 |
2/3 to 1 cup2 |
|
2-4 |
1 to 1 ½ cups1 |
1 to 2 cups2 |
|
5-8 |
1 to 2 cups1 |
1 ½ to 2 ½ cups2 |
|
9-13 |
1 ½ to 2 cups1 |
1 ½ to 3 cups2 |
|
14-30 |
1 ½ to 2 cups1 |
2 ½ to 3 cups2 |
|
31-60+ |
1 ½ to 2 cups1 |
2 to 3 cups2 |
The everyday suggestion for the number of fruits and vegetables based on age for males (U.S. Department of Agriculture (n.d.a), (n.d.b)):
|
Age group (years old) |
Serving of Fruits based on cup measurements |
Serving of Vegetables based on cup measurements |
|
12-23 months |
½ to 1 cup1 |
2/3 to 1 cup2 |
|
2-4 |
1 to 1 ½ cups1 |
1 to 2 cups2 |
|
5-8 |
1 to 2 cups1 |
1 ½ to 2 ½ cups2 |
|
9-13 |
1 ½ to 2 cups1 |
2 to 3 ½ cups2 |
|
14-18 |
2 to 2 ½ cups1 |
2 ½ to 4 cups2 |
|
19-59 |
2 to 2 ½ cups1 |
3 to 4 cups2 |
|
60+ |
2 cups1 |
2 ½ to 3 ½ cups2 |
Also, here is an example of a healthy plate diagram based on the Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (2011)3:
Citations:
- U.S. Department of Agriculture. (n.d.a). Fruits. https://www.myplate.gov/eat-healthy/fruits
- U.S. Department of Agriculture. (n.d.b). Vegetables. https://www.myplate.gov/eat-healthy/vegetables
- Copyright © 2011, Harvard University. For more information about The Healthy Eating Plate, please see The Nutrition Source, Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, thenutritionsource.org, and Harvard Health Publications, www.health.harvard.edu.