You know that it's important to eat your fruits and vegetables every day, but do you really know how much is enough? It seems simple enough: the USDA recommends [1] two cups of fruit and two-and-a-half cups of vegetables every day, but putting it all together day by day, week by week is a different story. We've taken all the hassle and guesswork out of the picture with this seven-day plan that includes recipe ideas and serving suggestions. Click through to see all the gorgeous produce on your healthy menu for the week!
Monday
- 1/2 large cantaloupe (your fruit bowl [3] for breakfast) = 1 serving of fruit
- 1 cup blueberries (to top off a cantaloupe yogurt bowl [4]) = 1 serving of fruit
- 1 large ear of corn (grilled with lunch) = 1 serving of vegetables
- 1 1/2 cups green beans (steamed as a dinner side) = 1 1/2 servings of vegetables
Tuesday
- 1 banana (sliced on top of breakfast cereal) = 1 serving of fruit
- 8 strawberries (sliced on top of breakfast cereal) = 1 serving of fruit
- 2 cups raw spinach (salad greens for lunch) = 1 serving of vegetables
- 1/2 cup beets (add to salad) = 1/2 serving of vegetables
- 12 baby carrots (an afternoon snack dipped in hummus) = 1 serving of vegetables
Wednesday
- 1 large tomato (for a caprese salad [6] lunch) = 1 serving of fruit
- 1 cup cucumber (for a caprese salad lunch) = 1 serving of fruit
- 1 cup brussels sprouts (roasted into chips [7] for a snack) = 1 serving of vegetables
- 1/2 cup zucchini (sautéed with protein for dinner) = 1/2 serving of vegetables (
- 1 cup cooked beans (served as a dinner side) = 1 serving of vegetables
Thursday
- 1 large orange (served with breakfast) = 1 serving of fruit
- 1/2 cup diced pineapple (midmorning snack) = 1/2 serving of fruit
- 1/2 avocado, diced (served over protein of your choice for lunch) = 1/2 serving of fruit
- 1 medium red pepper, sliced (dipped in hummus for a snack) = 1 serving of vegetables
- 1 1/2 cups spaghetti squash (cooked with roasted shrimp [8] for dinner) = 1 1/2 servings of vegetables
Friday
- 1/2 grapefruit (for breakfast) = 1/2 serving of fruit
- 1/2 cup blueberries (served with kale and quinoa for lunch) = 1/2 serving of fruit
- 3 cups raw kale (served with quinoa and blueberries for lunch) = 1 1/2 serving of vegetables
- 1 pear (midday snack) = 1 serving of fruit
- 1 sweet potato (roasted for dinner) = 1 serving of vegetables
Saturday
- 1/2 avocado (baked with egg [10] for breakfast) = 1/2 serving of fruit
- 1 apple (added to Waldorf salad [11] lunch) = 1 serving of fruit
- 1 stalk celery (with peanut butter for a snack) = 1/2 serving of vegetables
- 1 bell pepper (for a stuffed pepper [12] dinner) = 1 serving of vegetables
- 8 spears asparagus (steamed with dinner) = 1 serving vegetables
- 16 grapes (frozen for dessert) = 1/2 serving of fruit
Sunday
- 1 apple (chopped over breakfast oatmeal) = 1 serving of fruit
- 1/2 cup mango (added to black bean salad [13] for lunch) = 1/2 serving of fruit
- 1 plum (midday snack) = 1/2 serving of fruit
- 1 cup acorn squash (served with dinner) = 1 serving of vegetables
- 2 cups rainbow chard, raw (sautéed with dinner) = 1 serving of vegetables