This document discusses the importance of making half your plate fruits and vegetables. It recommends choosing a variety of colorful, nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables to fill at least half of your plate at meals for optimal health benefits. Examples are given of nutrients found in different fruits and vegetables, as well as tips for selecting, storing, preparing and incorporating more fruits and vegetables into meals and snacks. The document provides examples of two sample dinners following the MyPlate guidelines.

1. Make Half Your Plate Fruits and
Vegetables!
Presenter name and affiliation

2. What Does It Mean?
Make Half Your Plate
Fruits and Vegetables!
a. Eat any fruit or vegetable as long as it fits on half
your plate.
b. Choose nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables to fill up
about half your plate.
c. Both a and b
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3. What Does It Mean?
Make Half Your Plate
Fruits and Vegetables!
a. Eat any fruit or vegetable as long as it fits on half
your plate.
b. Choose nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables to fill up
about half your plate.
c. Both a and b
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4. Health Benefits
• Reduced risk of obesity, diabetes, and
heart disease
• Protection against some cancers
• Lower blood pressure
• Reduced risk of kidney stones
• Decrease in bone loss
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5. Match Nutrients - Food Sources!
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Fiber
Folate
Potassium
Beta-carotene
Vitamin C
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Oranges
Leafy greens
Legumes
Papayas
Tomatoes
White potatoes
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6. Match Nutrients - Food Sources!
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Fiber
Folate
Potassium
Beta-carotene
Vitamin C
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Oranges
Leafy greens
Legumes
Papayas
Tomatoes
White potatoes
These are excellent food sources of these nutrients. You can
get these nutrients from MANY fruits and vegetables!
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7. Selecting Nutrient-Rich F/V
Think
COLORS!!
RED
GREEN
PURPLE
ORANGE
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8. Selecting Nutrient-Rich F/V
Think
VARIETY!!
FRESH
CRUNCHY
SOFT
CANNED
FROZEN
For illustrative
purposes only;
Extension does
not endorse
specific brands.
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9. Maximize Nutrients: Buying
• Buy fruits and vegetables fresh and
in season when possible.
• Choose fresh fruits or canned fruits
with little or no added sugar.
• When buying frozen vegetables,
select those with no added sauces.
• Look for low sodium or sodium-free
when buying canned vegetables.
• Use food labels to compare nutrient
values.
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10. Maximize Nutrients: Preparing
• Use fresh fruits and vegetables as
soon as possible.
• Cook veggies in small amount of
liquid until just tender.
• Microwave, steam, stir-fry, or lightly
grill veggies to retain nutrients.
• Use herbs, spices, lemon or lime
juice for flavor.
• Minimize sauces and added salt.
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11. Increase the Appeal
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Serve fresh cut veggies with a light dip or dressing.
Cut veggies in various shapes for added interest.
Keep a bowl of fresh fruit on the kitchen counter.
In salads use many colors and textures
of fruits and vegetables for variety.
• Keep prepared cut-up vegetables in a
see-through container in the refrigerator.
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12. Get Children Involved
• Let them decide which vegetable to
have for dinner.
• In the store, ask them to choose a
new vegetable or fruit to try at home.
• Allow them to help with food
preparation. Examples:
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Prepare fruit kabobs for a snack.
Help with salad preparation.
Cut-up vegetables for a recipe.
Make a fruit salad for dessert.
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13. What’s for Dinner?
Using MyPlate in Your Life - Adults
• Find your estimated daily calorie needs.
• Look up the amounts to eat from the
Fruits and Vegetables food groups.
• Divide these amounts by three.
• Pick fruit and vegetable portions that
meet these dinner goals.
• Decide on food preparation techniques
to keep foods as healthful as possible.
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14. What about Mixed Foods?
• We often include foods from more than one food
group in our recipes.
• Recommended amounts from four of the food groups
for a 2,000 calorie diet divided by 3:
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Vegetables: 1 cup (rounded up)
Fruits: 2/3 cup
Grains: 2 ounce equivalents
Protein Foods: 2 ounce equivalents (rounded up)
• We may make adjustments in these amounts for the
dinner meal based on our usual eating patterns.
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15. MyPlate – Dinner 1
3 ounces broiled
salmon (added 1 oz)
1 cup rice pilaf with
½ cup vegetables
1 cup salad
1 peach
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16. Dinner 1 - Nutrients
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580 calories
30 grams protein
69 grams carbohydrate
6 grams dietary fiber
20 grams fat
2750 IU vitamin A
8 mg vitamin C
260 mg sodium
NOTE: Dairy is not included in this analysis.
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17. MyPlate – Dinner 2
Spaghetti and meat balls:
1 cup spaghetti
3 ounces meatballs (added 1 oz)
1½ cup salad
(added ½ cup)
⅔ cup fruit salad
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18. Dinner 2 - Nutrients
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500 calories
23 grams protein
66 grams carbohydrate
10 grams dietary fiber
19 grams fat
1670 IU vitamin A
22 mg vitamin C
350 mg sodium
NOTE: Dairy is not included in this analysis.
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19. Setting Goals
Write down at least two things
that you will do differently this
week to make half your plate
fruits and vegetables.
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20. Questions?
Are there any questions?
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21. Slide set developed by:
Linda B. Bobroff, Ph.D., RD
Professor and Extension Nutrition Specialist
Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences
University of Florida
September 2011
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