Have You Had Your 5-A-Day?

September, used to be National 5-a-day Month, but is now called Fruits and Veggies—More Matters. Although the name has changed the campaign is the same: encourage Americans to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily to improve their health.

Eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables provides important vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals that help protect your body against the effects of aging and reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer.

It is estimated that only one in four Americans eats 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily. We want you to help improve that statistic by increasing the number of servings you eat each day!

If you include one fruit with each meal and eat a cup of vegetables at dinner, you can reach the minimum 5-a-day. Another strategy is to make a smoothie by blending more than one fruit with nonfat yogurt, providing two fruits in one serving. To determine exactly how many servings you need per day, and for additional tips and recipes,
go to www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov