What does serving size mean?

A rose by any other name smells just as sweet -- but a “serving size” may be larger than a single “serving” of fruit or vegetable. Confused? Fortunately the difference is not as complicated as it sounds, and in fact, may make it easier to get your 9 to 13 daily recommended servings of produce, depending on your calorie intake and activity level.

You see, the serving size often printed on nutrition labels refers to the FDA ’s recommended amount of a particular food you would normally eat in one sitting. For example, one serving size of bananas is, you guessed it, one banana. While the serving size may vary depending on the food in question, a serving of fruit or vegetable is typically a half cup and refers to your recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables. To return to the example, since a large banana may contain a full cup (i.e., two half cups) of fruit, then one serving size (one banana) provides not one but nearly two servings of fruits and vegetables. Like a banana, a single large apple is a serving size, but it accounts for about four servings of fruit! And this is also true with fruit juice -- 8 ounces is a serving size, giving you two servings of fruit.

The same half-cup serving measurement holds true for vegetables. Thus, if you sit down to eat a serving size of broccoli (a cup and a half), you’ll have consumed three of your daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables.