Here’s How Many Fruits and Vegetables Kids Need Every Day
Inside: See age-by-age visuals of how many fruits and veggies kids need in a day. You may be surprised–and get some good ideas!
You know your kids need fruits and veggies. But what does it mean in the real world–and what does a whole day’s worth really look like?
Scroll down to see real-world visuals of how many fruits and vegetables kids need each day.
You may see these photos and think it’s way more than your kids eat–or way less. Personally, putting together this post made me realize that one of my kids isn’t getting nearly enough (especially veggies!).
Keep in mind: These are just examples. If these aren’t fruits and veggies your gang likes, that’s okay. But I hope these photos give you a better idea of how much kids need and how it can all fit together.
And if you’re thinking “But my kid won’t eat ANY veggies!!”, take a deep, cleansing breath and read Your Kid Hates Vegetables. Now What? You’ll feel better, I promise.
(Note: MyPlate measures servings for fruits and vegetables in cups and provides different serving sizes in cup-equivalents for some foods. You can get more serving sizes and ideas at MyPlate.)
How Many Fruits & Vegetables Do Preschoolers Need?
2-3 Year Olds need: 1 cup of fruit & 1 cup of vegetables
Get there with…
- 1/2 small banana at breakfast
- Half of an apple at snack time
- 1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots with lunch
- 1/2 cup cooked broccoli at dinner
- 8 grapes (cut in half to prevent choking) at snack time
How Many Fruits & Vegetables Do Young Kids Need?
4-8 year olds need: 1.5 cups of fruit & 1.5 cups of vegetables
Get there with…
- 8 strawberries at breakfast
- 6 baby carrots at snack time
- 1/2 cup corn with lunch
- 1/2 cup roasted Brussels sprouts with dinner
- 1/2 orange, sliced at snack time
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Here’s How Much Protein Your Child Needs
How Many Fruits & Vegetables Do Tweens Need?
9-13 year olds need: 1.5 cups of fruit and 2 cups of veggies (2.5 cups of veggies for boys)
Get there with…
- 1/2 cup blueberries at breakfast
- 1 clementine at snack time
- 1/2 sweet pepper with lunch
- 1 container applesauce at lunch
- 1/2 cup sugar snap peas at snack time
- 1/2 baked sweet potato + 6 asparagus at dinner
How Many Fruits & Vegetables Do Teenagers Need?
14-18 year olds need: 1.5 cups of fruit (2 cups of fruit for boys) and 2.5 cups of veggies (3 cups of veggies for boys)
Get there with…
- Smoothie with 1/2 cup frozen peaches + 1 cup spinach
- 1 apple for snack
- 1 cup mini peppers with lunch
- 16 grapes with lunch
- 2 cups greens + 1/2 cup carrots at dinner
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Wish Your Kids Ate More Fruits & Vegetables?
Here are some ideas for helping your kid get more fruits and veggies everyday:
- Make a fruit smoothie (or assemble smoothie packets so it’s easy for them to make one quickly)
- Put lettuce and tomato on sandwiches
- Include edamame on a snack plate or as a side
- Have lunch with a side salad or cup of vegetable soup
- Add a side of chips and salsa or guacamole
- Stock individual fruit cups and unsweetened applesauce they can grab
- Keep no-prep fruit on hand so they can wash and go, like blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries
- Pair apples and bananas with a packet of nut butter or SunButter
- Suggest adding sliced apple to a grilled cheese or fresh spinach to scrambled eggs
- Get more ideas here: Wish Your Family Ate More Veggies? Do These 7 Things
What About Protein & Sugar?
Here’s How Much Protein Your Child Needs
Wondering how much protein your kids need–and whether they’re getting enough? Here’s what a day’s worth of protein actually looks like for kids.
What a Day’s Worth of Sugar Looks Like For Kids
Here’s how the recommendations for added sugar looks like in a the real world for kids!
Hi! I think it’s important to remember that that’s what parents have to serve but that you can’t force your kids to eat it. Looking at this, my kids definitely don’t eat enough and, while I do pretty well, I can do even better with serving more fruits and veggies. Great visual!
Katie–you’re absolutely right! And as long as parents are serving fruits and veggies regularly, they’re doing it right. 🙂
Awesome post with clear, easy ways to serve up (and know how much to provide) fruits & veggies to their kids. Love the visuals!
Thanks Lauren!
Thank you so much for this! I thought we were doing OK- but now I see that I need to improve the quantity quite a bit!
Bettina–I thought we were too but doing this was eye-opening for me. Especially the veggie servings for older kids!
Wow! This post really does break it down so you KNOW really how much to be serving up. Thanks for doing the research for all the rest of us moms who are trying to do right by our kid in getting them to eat their fruits and veggies.
This is such a great post and so helpful for families. The visuals are awesome!
Thanks so much, Jessica!
I have a tricky eater. Everything is a struggle. I’m trying to stay calm and expect that it will all work out well in the end. The problem I’m encountering is she asks for white rice every day. I try to have one thing on her plate I know she will like but find it hard to say no- no rice tonight when it means she won’t eat anything.
Am I doing the right thing?
Yes. Offer all food groups, but let your child decide what she wants to eat.
I had a similar problem with my kids but I solved that by covering veggies with hummus. Maybe you could try mixing different veggies like peas and carrots with white rice.
You should check out this article for more useful tips: http://parentsupporthub.com/eating-more-fruits-and-vegetables-can-make-you-and-your-kids-happy/
Absolutely love this post and the visuals it provides!
I love this post, thank you! I would also love to see other posts like this, showing other food groups- like protein.
You could do a whole series of “visual nutrient requirements”!
Danit–Glad you liked it! And yep, I’m working on protein right now. 🙂
Wow! I love this post Sally! Such a great resource!!! Thanks for putting it together!
Thanks Sara!
Hi! I’m reading your awesome “15 Things I Learned This Year” post, and it led me here! SO helpful! I’m embarrassed to admit: this visuals would totally help for Adult Portions, too! Thank you!
Katherine–I’m so glad it’s helpful for you. It was a wake-up for me and I agree, helpful for grown-ups too! 🙂
Thank you for this very, very useful text, Sally!
I don’t have a problem with my kids when it comes to eating fruits but when I serve them some veggies they don’t want to eat it. I’ve tried tricking them and blending all of the vegetables they hate into a delicious potage but that didn’t help.
Can anyone tell me how to make them eat those veggies? 🙂
Wow, the picture is such a wonderful way to put the message across. Can I use this visual in my preschool for bulletin display? With all due respect!
If the amount of fruits and vegetables needed is in units of measure(Ex: 2 cups of vegetables) why is it that most parents say you need a certain “amount of servings” per day?
My 17 yr old eats lots of fruit. She is vegan. Do you have a list of protein in fruits?
Hi Millie–In general, fruit is not a good source of protein and most fruit contains very little if any fruit. There are a few exceptions though like these: https://www.health.com/high-protein-fruits-8641680