What are counted towards the 3 servings of vegetables?
Vegetables in various forms are counted:
- Fresh, canned and frozen vegetables (except preserved vegetables, such as salt-cured and pickled vegetables)
- Root and gourd vegetables (except those consumed as major sources of starch in diet such as potatoes, sweet potatoes and cassava)
- Beans, peas, mushrooms, seaweeds and sprouts
- Pure vegetable juice without added sugar or salt*
Nevertheless, choose seasonal fresh vegetables whenever possible!
How big is a serving of vegetables?
One serving of vegetables is approximately equivalent to:
- 1 bowl of raw leafy vegetables (e.g. lettuce and purple cabbage)
- 1⁄2 bowl of cooked vegetables, including leafy vegetables, sprouts, gourds, beans or mushrooms (e.g. Chinese flowering cabbage, Chinese kale, spinach, white cabbage, bean sprouts, eggplant, carrot, snow pea and enoki mushroom)
- 3⁄4 glass of pure vegetable juice without added sugar or salt* (e.g. fresh tomato juice with pulp)
Remarks: 1 glass ≈ 240 ml; 1 bowl = 250-300 ml
Try to choose a variety of fresh vegetables to obtain different nutrients.
*Pure vegetable juice contains less dietary fibre and nutrients in content. Besides, pure vegetable juice in excess of 3⁄4 glass (180 ml) will still be counted as having only one serving of vegetables on the same day.