1. Why should I choose Vegetables and Fruit more often?
 The Vegetables and Fruit Food Group is the most prominent arc of the rainbow on the new Canada’s Food Guide emphasizing the important role these foods play in a healthy eating pattern.
 Vegetables and fruit provide important nutrients like vitamins, minerals and fibre.
 A diet rich in vegetables and fruit may help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and some types of cancer.
 While individual nutrients are important, it is the interaction of nutrients working together with other components of vegetables and fruit that provide an overall health benefit.
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Why should I eat at least one dark green and one orange vegetable each day?
 While it is recommended that you go for colour by eating a variety of vegetables and fruit daily, the Canada’s Food Guide has put special emphasis on dark green and orange vegetables.
 Dark green vegetables are important sources of folate and include asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green peas and leafy vegetables like collards, mustard greens, romaine lettuce and spinach.
 Orange vegetables and fruit are rich in caroteniods, which the body converts to vitamin A. These include carrots, pumpkins, squash and sweet potatoes, as well as apricots, cantaloupe, mango and papaya. Oranges, although a good source of nutrients such as folate and vitamin C, are not a good source of caroteniods.
Can a piece of apple pie count as a serving of fruit?
 Some products with ‘vegetable’ or ‘fruit’ in their names or on their packaging are composed mainly of fat or sugar or are very high in salt – and this might be the case with pie. Fruit candies, vegetable chips, jams and spreads, ketchup, or fruit or vegetable punches/ beverages do not fit into the Vegetables and Fruit Food Group.
 Most vegetables and fruit are naturally low in fat and therefore naturally low in calories. By limiting dressings and sauces, by steaming or using a microwave to cook vegetables, you keep that natural advantage.
 Choose fresh, unsweetened frozen fruit or fruit canned in juice to avoid extra sugar and calories.
 Drain and rinse canned vegetables to remove added salt or look for lower sodium canned vegetables and soups to avoid excess sodium.

4. How many servings of Vegetables and Fruit are recommended?
 Canada’s Food Guide recommends different numbers of servings of vegetables and fruit depending on age and sex. The recommendations were based on extensive scientific review. The goal was to find eating patterns that met nutrient needs of
Canadians at different ages and stages of their lives through different combinations of amounts and types of foods.
 The Food Guide recommends between 7 - 8 daily servings of Vegetables and Fruit for women and 8 – 10 servings for men between the ages of 19 – 50. For all adults over the age of 50, 7 servings per day are recommended.
 Following the eating pattern in Canada’s Food Guide will help people meet their nutrient needs, reduce their risk of chronic disease and obesity, and achieve overall health and vitality.
 The recommended number is the average amount people should try to eat each day.
5. What is considered one serving of Vegetables and Fruit?
 One medium fresh fruit (the size of a tennis ball)
 125 mL (1/2 cup) of frozen or canned fruit (the size of a computer mouse)
 125 mL (1/2 cup) fresh, frozen or canned vegetables
 250 mL (1 cup) leafy vegetables
 125 mL (1/2 cup) 100% fruit or vegetable juice
6. Tips for increasing your vegetable and fruit consumption:
 Start your day with a fruit-based smoothie or some cut-up fruit in addition to a glass of orange or grapefruit juice
 Make a conscious effort to include at least one vegetable at lunch like baby carrots or red pepper strips.
 Keep some dried fruit handy as a snack or to round out a meal on the go.
 Consider buying pre-washed, pre-bagged vegetables to make preparation easy and quick.
 Keep your kitchen stocked with frozen or canned vegetables and fruit.
Visit the following web sites for more information and interactive tools: www.healthcanada.gc.ca/foodguide - Learn more about Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide and create your own personalized food guide by using the My Food Guide tool.
For a print friendly version - http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/alt_formats/hpfb-dgpsa/pdf/food-guidealiment/print_eatwell_bienmang_e.pdf
www.dietitians.ca/eatracker - EATracker assesses your food choices and provides personalized feedback on your total intake of energy (calories) and essential nutrients and compares this to what is recommended for your age, gender, and activity level. It also determines your body mass index (BMI) and provides information to help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

www.dietitians.ca/eatwell – The Eat Well, Live Well site is full of friendly and useful resources for meal planning, good nutrition tips as well activities like the Nutrition Challenge and the virtual kitchen and grocery store.