Fruits and Veggies: How Much is a Serving?

This week I want to focus on fruit and vegetable serving sizes. Many people use the general rule of thumb that a half cup of fruits or veggies equals one serving, but that isn't always the case.  You may be surprised to learn that one serving of an apple and one serving of an avocado look very different.  One whole medium apple equals just ONE serving, but if you ate a whole medium avocado you would be eating FIVE servings.  That's a big difference!

So, how can we be sure that we are really getting our five servings a day in?

This chart has a very comprehensive list of fruits and veggies and their serving sizes.

Here are a few common examples:
  
Fruits

• one banana
• six strawberries
• two plums
• fifteen grapes
• one apple
• one peach
• one-half cup of orange or other fruit juice

Vegetables

• five broccoli florets
• ten baby carrots
• one Roma tomato
• 3/4 cup tomato juice
• 3/4 cup vegetable juice
• half of a baked sweet potato
• one ear of corn
• three tablespoons of peas 

Are you getting enough greens (and reds and oranges and yellows)?  Well, keep this is mind, according to many experts 5 fruits and veggies a day is considered a MINIMUM. (Surprised?  I was too.) 

"Many nutrition and dietary experts suggest you eat from five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day. That is a total. Older or inactive women and smaller children need at least three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit. Growing kids, teen girls, most men and active women should eat at least four servings of vegetables and three servings of fruit every day. Teen boys and active men should eat at least five servings of vegetables and four servings of fruit every day. Unfortunately many people fail to eat even the minimum suggested level of five servings of fruits or vegetables each day."

  So, when it comes to fruits and vegetables: EAT UP!


sources: about.com, usda, good life dietitians

Why Water?

Each week I want to do a post here focusing on one of the Healthy Habits that we are working on building.  I'm certainly not an expert so I'd love your input, and comments on these posts. 

WHY WATER?

A DROP IN THE BUCKET 

Just a Few of the Benefits of Drinking Enough Water

Water Helps You Lose Weight

Water is a natural appetite suppressant and has zero calories.  Drinking a glass of water 30 mins before each meal will help you eat fewer calories.  According to livestrong.com we often misinterpret thirst for hunger.  If you're feeling hungry, before reaching for a snack, have a glass of water and wait 20 mins.  If your still hungry grab that apple and munch away, if you don't, maybe you were just thirsty.

Water Boosts Mood and Brain Power

Did you know that 90% of your brain is made up of water? No wonder dehydration effects our mental clarity and mood. Researchers from Tufts University say that even mild dehydration is associated with feelings of anger, depression, and confusion.

Water Keeps You Looking Young

"You can look significantly younger just by keeping your skin hydrated," says Howard Murad, M.D., associate clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. "Water naturally plumps skin, fills in fine lines and wrinkles, and boosts a lackluster complexion."

Water Helps Energize Muscles.

Your muscles consist of 75% water. "When muscle cells don't have adequate fluids, they don't work as well and performance can suffer," says adjunct professor of medicine at Stanford University Steven Guest, MD.  While exercising follow the guidelines provided by the American College of Sports Medicine.  They recommend that people drink about 17 ounces of fluid about two hours before exercise. During exercise, they recommend that people start drinking fluids early, and drink them at regular intervals to replace fluids lost by sweating.

Water Helps Your Kidneys.

Water transports waste products in and out of cells.   "Your kidneys do an amazing job of cleansing and ridding your body of toxins as long as your intake of fluids is adequate,"explains Guest.  When you're getting enough fluids your urine should be light in color. Dark urine is a sign of dehydration.



sources: livestrong.com,  mangosteen-natural-remedies.com, webmd.com

Week One Recap

Week One is in the books!  How did it go?  I'll be honest with you, this week was a little rough for me.  We spent Thursday through Saturday camping and I realized that camping cuisine is not conducive to this healthy habits challenge.  Also, my Personal Goal has to do with being a more organized "home manager."  It's not easy to work on keeping my home organized when I'm not here.  Alas, I did my best and this is the beginning of a new week.  Week Two here we come!

How about you?  Was Week One harder than you thought it would be, or did you breeze through it without a problem?  Which habit is the hardest for you to keep?   Are there any tips that you can share that you've found helpful?  I'd love to hear how things are going for you.  Let us know in the comments below this post.