Fruit and Vegetables

Recommendations

The Australian Government recommends that children eat plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables and legumes (dried beans, peas or lentils) every day to ensure they get an adequate intake of essential vitamins and minerals. The number of serves recommended varies depending on age and activity level, but 2 serves fruit and 5 serves of vegetables is a good quantity to aim for with children aged over eight years old.

Serving Size

Serving size is sometimes a confusing issue. You don't need to be absolutely precise with servings but it is good to understand what to aim for.

A serve of fruit is:

    1 medium piece such as an apple or banana
    2 small pieces such as apricots or plums
    1 cup of diced or canned fruit pieces
    ½ cup of pure fruit juice
    1 ½ tablespoons of sultanas

A serve of vegetables is:

    75g or ½ cup cooked vegetables
    75g or ½ cup cooked dried beans, peas or lentils
    1 cup of salad
    1 potato

The Federal Government's Go for 2 & 5 website has lots of interesting information, answers to commonly asked questions, recipe ideas and kids' activity suggestions relating to fruit and vegetable consumption.