How many vegetables should you eat per day?

Vegetables are healthy! Eat as many vegetables as possible! A selection of the frequently heard statements around us. Vegetables are hot and can be found in the craziest places. Processed in your wrap, cookies and even your oatmeal. Is all this really necessary or does the food industry just want us to believe that? And is there such a thing as too much vegetables?

What is Vegetable?
Both fruits and vegetables come from plants. The part of the plant determines whether it is a fruit or vegetable. For example, fruit is almost always the fruit of a plant, such as an apple. Vegetable, on the other hand, can also come from another part, including the root or stem. An example of this is celery. Basically, fruit comes exclusively from the fruit, vegetable can come from all parts. For example, the fruits tomato, cucumber, avocado, pepper and avocado also fall under the heading of 'vegetables'.

How many vegetables should you eat per day?
Authorities are not quite sure how much vegetables you should eat per day to stay healthy. For example, the World Health Organization (WHO) advises healthy adults to eat 400 grams of vegetables per day ¹ to prevent diseases. The WHO does not classify starchy products such as (sweet) potatoes and cassava as fruit or vegetables. The Netherlands Nutrition Center, on the other hand, is satisfied with 250 grams of vegetables per day ² . This can be cooked, but also processed raw in a smoothie, for example. So you certainly don't have to shove 250 grams of vegetables in at once. For example, spread it over several times during the day. This way you can also learn to eat vegetables as an adult. Would you rather only eat vegetables in the evening? A good rule to follow is to half fill your plate with vegetables. A real vegetable meal!

Eat vegetables and lose weight
To lose weight, you do well to eat vegetables more often. Vegetables are packed with fiber, vitamins and minerals, just like fruit. It is not without reason that they sometimes say 'an apple a day, keeps the doctor away'. Fiber promotes bowel movements and reduces the risk of colorectal cancer and cardiovascular disease. You feel full for longer, so you are less inclined to snack (unhealthily) in between. How much vegetables you should eat per day to lose weight does not exceed the recommended amount of 250 grams. Why many diets contain a lot of greens is because they contain virtually no calories in addition to all the good nutrients.

The consequences of not eating vegetables
Not eating vegetables certainly has consequences. Different foods contain different nutrients. You can therefore not replace vegetables with fruit and vice versa ³ . Without vegetables, you are more susceptible to digestive disorders such as constipation, hemorrhoids and diverticulosis. A Harvard Medical School study showed that a diet high in vegetables, and therefore high in dietary fiber, reduces the risk of diverticular disease ⁴ .

Stay healthy and eat your veggies! Find out with our Veggie Check whether you are getting enough vegetables.

Sources :

1. World Health Organisation, Promoting fruit and vegetable consumption
2. Nutrition Centre, How many vegetables do I need per day?
   
3. Nutrition Centre, Can I replace vegetables with fruit in my diet?
4. Harvard Medical School, How many fruits and vegetables do we really need?