If you thought eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day was
pretty much impossible, here is some bad news: The National Cancer
Institute wants men to increase their consumption to nine servings a day.


The agency this week is launching a publicity campaign to dramatically
boost men's fruit and vegetable consumption. Although past campaigns have
touted the need for five servings a day, health experts now say five is
just the bare minimum. They say U.S. dietary guidelines have always called
for men to eat nine servings -- but many haven't gotten the message.


Indeed, most men are shocked to learn they are supposed to eat anything
near nine servings. A recent NCI survey found that 97% of men didn't have a
clue nine was the magic number. The vast majority of men think four
servings is enough to insure good health, although the average man eats
only three.


While men are the focus of the new campaign, health officials note that
women should increase their consumption to seven servings a day, while kids
should eat at least five. The Institute, which for more than a decade has
spearheaded the "Eat 5 a Day" publicity campaign, has changed its logo to
the more accurate but cumbersome: "Eat 5 to 9 a Day."


The goals are particularly daunting when you consider only 23% of adults
eat at least five daily servings of fruit and vegetables. Only 4% of men
consume nine. More than one-third of the population eats only one or two
servings and 4% eat less than that.


So is it really as impossible as it sounds? And is it as necessary as the
National Cancer Institute says? Or is this just hype to finally get us to
eat five? Here are the answers to those and other questions.


How much is a serving? Smaller than you think. A six-ounce glass of fruit
or vegetable juice, which is about the size of a small foam cup, counts. So
does a medium-size orange, banana or apple. One cup of salad greens, about
the size of your fist or a baseball, is considered a serving. To estimate
the right amount of chopped fruits and vegetables, measure out a half-cup
or imagine a scoop of ice cream or seven cotton balls. Three medium
asparagus spears, eight carrot sticks or one ear of corn all equal one
serving. For dried fruit like raisins, measure one-fourth cup, which is
about the size of an egg. And French fries don't count.