The general recommendation for fruit and vegetable intake is at least 400 grams per day, or five servings of 80 grams.
One 80-gram serving is equivalent to a small piece about the size of a tennis ball. For fruits and vegetables that can be measured by the cup, a serving is roughly 1 cup.
This recommendation stems from the fact that eating five servings of fruits and vegetables daily is associated with a lower risk of death from diseases like heart disease, stroke and cancer.
One large analysis of 16 scientific studies found that eating more than five servings per day provided no added benefit.
However, another systematic review of 95 scientific studies found the lowest disease risk at 800 grams, or 10 daily servings.
Keep in mind that these studies looked at both fruits and vegetables. Assuming half of these servings come from fruit, you should consume somewhere between two to five servings of fruit daily.
Recommendations from different health authorities vary slightly, but generally seem to align with the current research.
For example, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines recommend the average adult consume two servings of fruit per day, while the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends adults eat four to five servings of fruit per day.
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