What does 10 servings of fruit and vegetables look like?

1 cup chopped tomatoes or 2 small whole or 20 cherry

1 cup chopped peppers

2 cups swiss chard

1/2 cup blueberries

1 cup loosely packed parsley, 10 sprigs

1 small banana

1 small orange

1 cup zucchini

1 small pear

1 lemon

A 2017 study said that eating 10 servings of fruit and vegetables will help reduce chances of a heart attack, stroke, cancer and early death. Sounds pretty great, but how do you get 10 servings of fruit and vegetables in one day? We’ve got some tips to help you out.

10 servings a day doesn’t mean 10 different fruits or vegetables (well it can but there’s a bit more to it). 1 serving size usually means 1 cup – this could look like 1 cup chopped tomatoes, which equals 2 small whole tomatoes or 20 cherry tomatoes, or 1 small banana. When it comes to greens though, like kale, spinach or swiss chard, a serving size is actually 2 cups. And you don’t want to resort to dried fruit for your fruit for the day – you should limit dried fruit to half a cup (which would be considered 1 serving) as they often have added sugars or fruit juices in them.

You also want to have more vegetables than fruit, simply because fruit has natural sugars and can disrupt your blood sugar balance. For your daily intake, try for 70% vegetables, 30% fruit. If you start off your day with lemon water, you’ve already checked off one fruit, plus you’re assisting your digestive system in secreting its digestive juices!

Here's some easy tips to getting your 10 servings:

- Prep them ahead of time! If you chop and store your vegetables, there is no excuse to reach for a few pieces of carrots over a chocolate bar when you're looking for a snack. Here's a great video on how to chop your vegetables the right way (and save your fingers!)

- Eat the rainbow (we aren’t talking about Skittles)! Try to have at least 3 colours on your plate for each meal of the day and you’ll easily eat 10 servings, plus it looks beautiful!

- Replace grains with veggies! Zucchini, sweet potatoes or beets make for long noodles and eggplant can replace lasagna noodles! Cauliflower rice can be substituted for white rice and even be turned into a pizza crust!

- Hide veggies in your smoothies! Or, make an entire vegetable smoothie (we promise it's good!) If you can't commit to a full veg smoothie yet, at least be sure to add leafy greens or microgreens

Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170223102404.htm