Are You Only Eating Half Your Recommended Fruits and Veggies?

SELF
by SELF
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Are You Only Eating Half Your Recommended Fruits and Veggies?

Ok, OMG, shocking, fruits and vegetables are good for you. We know. It’s not all that sexy—produce helps you maintain a healthy weight and lower your risk for death from many causes. Duh. But ask yourself: Are you really getting enough?

Because according to a new study in the British Medical Journal, the majority of adults worldwide eat less than half of the five servings they’re supposed to get per day.

The article is based on an analysis of 16 previous studies—all lasting between four and 26 years—that looked at a total of more than 800,000 people in the United States, Asia and Europe. The researchers found that each serving of fruits and veggies was linked with a five percent lower risk for death of any cause (i.e. one-serving-eaters had a five percent lower likelihood of death than zero-serving-eaters, and the risk of death decreased by five percent for each additional serving). The protection seemed to max out at five servings—the current recommended level—but that doesn’t mean it’s not ok to eat more than five servings, the study authors say. (Giant kale salad, anyone?)

Take a quick look at the recommendations on ChooseMyPlate.gov—depending on your age or activity level, you may realize it’s time to adjust the amount of fruits and veggies you get daily.  —Anna Maltby for Self.com

How many servings of fruits and veggies are you eating daily? Share in the comments below!

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SELF
SELF

SELF.com is the ultimate wellness resource and community. We recognize that wellness is as much about self-expression and self-esteem as it is about exercise and nutrition; that it’s not an all-or-nothing lifestyle; and that every person’s individual goals for healthy living are different, and that’s OK. We’re here to celebrate, motivate, support, inform and entertain you—and make you laugh, too. Join the conversation and catch the latest SELF news, recipes, advice, laughs and more on FacebookInstagram and Twitter.

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5 responses to “Are You Only Eating Half Your Recommended Fruits and Veggies?”

  1. Avatar Fraz says:

    It doesn’t usually fit my macros to eat the government recommended amounts of fruits and veggies. So, no.

  2. Avatar weight loss programs says:

    fruits and vegetables good for me 🙂

  3. Avatar babsonthego4 says:

    I know I am missing fruit,, when I start craving it.. my budget is so tight.. that the fruits I do buy only lasts a week.. then its hit and miss..

  4. Avatar Amelia says:

    Wait, wait… “a five percent lower likelihood of death”?! So… for some people, death is not a 100% certainty? Did the vegetables make them immortal?
    Oh no, I see that you have clarified that “the protection seemed to max out at five servings” – so I can just make it less likely that I’ll ever die, but I can’t be certain that I’ll be immortal from eating vegetables.

    This is legitimately hilarious.

  5. Avatar SeniorCitizenofCT says:

    When will they finally realize that when the cost of produce is lowered people will be more willing to buy it and eat it? The cost of produce is always high in relation to the quantity we’re supposed to eat.

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