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Raw, edible weight portion.
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Most fruits and vegetables provide negligible amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol.
Developed By: Food Marketing Institute, American Dietetic Association, American Meat Institute, Food Distributors International, National Broiler Council, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, National Fisheries Institute, National Grocers Association, National Turkey Federation, Produce Marketing Association, United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Associate.
Data Source: US Food and Drug Administration
Eating for Health
The Food Guide Pyramid* illustrates what to eat each day. It's not a rigid prescription, but a general guide that lets you choose a healthful diet that's right for you. A well balanced, healthy diet can help promote optimal growth and development in children and pregnant women, and may help prevent conditions and diseases such as obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, and some forms of cancer.
Eating a variety of foods is the best way to get the energy, protein, vitamins, minerals, and fiber you need. No one food can supply all the nutrients in the necessary amounts. It's the total diet over time that is important. The Food Guide Pyramid recommends three to five servings from the Vegetable Group. The Vegetable Group includes all fresh, canned, frozen, and dried vegetables.
Focus on Fat
Following the Food Guide Pyramid will also help you keep your intake of total fat and saturated fat low. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans* recommend that all healthy people two years of age or more limit fat in their diet to 30% of total calories. But remember this recommendation refers to your overall diet, and not for any individual food that you eat. It's the balance of foods you choose that makes a healthful diet.
Vegetables and Your Diet
Vegetables provide a variety of essential nutrients that are linked to good health including fiber, potassium, and water. Some vegetables also provide folate, vitamins A and C, and almost all are fat and cholesterol free and low in calories and sodium.
*The nutrition information on this web page is based on Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 1995, and the Food Guide Pyramid, 1992, US Department of Agriculture and the US Department of Health and Human Services.
How to Use the Chart
The chart lists serving sizes and nutrition facts for the 20 most commonly consumed raw vegetables. Use this information to help choose and maintain a healthful diet that includes a variety of vegetables.
To see how these foods fit into current nutrition recommendations, compare the vegetables with the daily values for a 2,000 and 2,500 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower, depending upon your calorie needs:
| Nutrient | Daily values in | |
| Diet for 2000 calories | Diet for 2500 calories | |
| Total Fat | less than 65 g | less than 80 g |
| Saturated Fat | less than 20 g | less than 25 g |
| Cholesterol | less than 300 mg | less than 300 mg |
| Sodium | less than 2,400 mg | less than 2,400 mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 300 g | 375 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 25 g | 30 g |
