Counting to Nine

Hearing you need to get nine or more servings of fruits and vegetables can be daunting. But consider the definitions of a serving (below) from the National Cancer Institute. All varieties of fruits and vegetables—fresh, frozen, canned, dried, and 100 percent juice—count.

• One medium-size fruit (apple, orange, banana, pear).
• ‘/o cup of raw, cooked, canned, or frozen fruits or vegetables.
• 3/4 cup (6 ounces) of 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice.
• ‘/2 cup of cut up fruit.
• ‘/2 cup of cooked or canned legumes (beans, peas).
• 1 cup of raw, leafy vegetables (lettuce, spinach).
• ‘/a cup of dried fruit (raisins, apricots, mango).