NUTRITION Count your SERVINGS

Few people eat enough fruits and vegetables each day.
By LESLIE GARCIA
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Fess up: How many servings of fruits and vegetables do you eat in a day?
Well, if you're like most people, not even close to the five to nine servings the government recommends for good health.
Consider this recent study sponsored by the Produce for Better Health Foundation, a nonprofit nutrition education group:
Three percent of the more than 2,400 people polled said they eat no produce. Zero. Zilch. Nada.
Nearly half said they think they eat just one or two servings a day.
Just 12 percent said they think they eat the suggested five or more servings.
And according to the National Cancer Institute, which helps run the national 5 a Day for Better Health program with the foundation:
Men, especially black men, are least likely to get their fruits and vegetables.
The average 9- to 12-year-old needs seven servings. Boys that age average 3.3 servings, and girls, 3.7.
"It's pretty terrible," says Valerie Green, a registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the 5 a Day program in Washington, D.C.
"There's a serious crisis in America. Obesity is on the rise. Diabetes is on the rise. Heart disease is on the rise. And every single one is related to the way people eat."
Health benefits
Fruits and vegetables have vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals that improve health and help reduce the risk of cancer and other diseases. People who eat them tend to consume fewer calories throughout the day. Nutrients and fiber make produce more filling than sugary, fatty foods.
So why aren't we just gobbling them down like so many malted-milk balls? Dr. Lewis Pincus, medical director of the Methodist Health System Weight Management Institute in Dallas, says the reasons are fourfold:
"Number one, people don't have a plan," he says. "Number two, they're not in the habit. Also, it's not readily available. And fewer people cook at home than ever before."
"They're being displaced," adds Bernadette Latson, assistant professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. "Every time you turn around, there's something new and exciting in snack foods."
Granted, sometimes it does seem easier to rip open that bag of crunchy cheese product. But what could be handier packaging than an apple or baby carrots?
Get your servings
And getting in those servings, experts say, is probably easier than you think. A serving, Latson reminds us, is usually just a half-cup. So that onion, lettuce and tomato on your burger could easily be one serving.
"Most people eat two cups of broccoli at a sitting, so they're eating four servings," says Leah Tiller, a nutritionist at Town North Family YMCA in Dallas.
"If you had a couple of spoonfuls of spinach on your pizza, or two pieces of veggie pizza with bell pepper and tomato sauce, you're probably getting two servings of veggies. It's not hard."
But goal setting is a must, Pincus says.
"Wake up with a plan," he says. "People who eat their apples -- you won't have one unless you bring it with you."
It does take planning, says Greg Brown, managing director of Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University.
"Sundays I hit the produce area and stock up for the week so I have stuff to bring to work," says Brown, 36. "Apples, tomatoes, a banana, grapes. I can sit here and eat while I'm working."
Competition
One thing that helped him was the fruit and vegetable challenge from Wellpower, an SMU program for its staff that encourages wellness of mind, body and spirit.
"It made you think about your servings," says Brown. "It became a game, a cool competition. I'd think, 'I can have a glass of milk or a glass of juice with breakfast. If I choose a big glass of juice, it will be two servings.'"
Two down, seven to go. We can do it.
FOR BREAKFAST
Get a jump-start on your day's count with:
3/4 cup (6 ounces) of 100 percent orange juice and 1/2 cup of fresh blueberries (try them on whole-grain cereal or stirred into low-fat yogurt).
Or consider: 1/4 cup of dried fruit (raisins or apricots); or 1/2 cup of frozen berries mixed with a medium banana and milk or yogurt in a smoothie (that counts for two servings).
A SNACK
One serving size can usually fit in the palm of your hand, such as a 4-ounce apple or 1/2 cup sliced. Many bananas and apples these days are closer to two servings.
Other handy options: a medium banana sliced on peanut butter and whole-wheat bread, or 1/2 cup of baby carrots or grapes.
LUNCH
Pile 'em on: 2 cups of lettuce (1 cup of leafy vegetables is a serving), 1/2 cup of diced tomatoes and 1/2 cup of diced cucumbers.
Or consider: 1/2 cup of legumes (beans or peas), or shredded carrots, broccoli, radishes -- your choice of 1/2 cup raw, cooked or frozen
DINNER
Aim for the nutrition stars and nine servings, with 1/2 baked sweet potato and 1/2 cup frozen peas.
Avoid canned vegetables, however, as they tend to be high in sodium.