Men Missing Out on Fruits and Veggies

Your male clients may have dropped the ball in the fruit and vegetable game. According to a survey conducted for the National Cancer Institute (NCI), only 3 percent know they should eat 9 servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

To get them back on the scoreboard, NCI and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are urging men to “shoot for 9”—9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, that is, to improve their health and prevent diseases.

NCI advises eating a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables—red, yellow-orange, white, green, and blue-purple—to get as many phytochemicals as possible. Here’s a way for your clients to keep score. Count fruits and vegetables in terms of “one point per serving.” Examples of one serving include a medium-sized piece of fruit, a mini (6-ounce) carton of 100-percent juice, a portion of raw leafy greens about the size of a baseball or a portion of cut-up fruits about the size of a racquetball.