1 cup raw vegetables

 one medium size fruit

 one small glass (6 oz. or 3/4 cup) 100% juice

 a handful of dried fruit or 1/4 cup

One-half cup of a cooked vegetable or a cup of a raw vegetable makes a vegetable serving. One fruit serving is 3/4 cup fruit juice, or 1/2 cup canned or small cut up pieces, or 1/4 cup dried fruit, or 1 piece whole.

To learn more about vegetables http://www.dole5aday.com/nut_center/veg/NUTVEG.html and fruits http://www.dole5aday.com/nut_center/fruit/NUTFRUIT.html check these websites at Dole. The sites show illustrations, nutrient content and more for seventy-some fruits and vegetables!

The American Heart Association’s Web site http://www.americanheart.org/Heart_and_Stroke_A_Z_Guide/veggie.html offers suggestions on how to prepare low-fat vegetables.

Some of us often get to the point where we need ideas on new ways to prepare vegetables. You may find the following cookbooks helpful.

Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant by the Moosewood Collective, published by Simon and Schuster/Fireside, New York 1990. It contains world wide recipes plus a chapter on menu planning, and a guide to ingredients, techniques and equipment.

Jump Up and Kiss Me by Jennifer Trainer Thompson, published by Ten Speed Press, Box 7123, Berkeley, California 94707, 1996. The book’s subtitle reads "Spicy Vegetarian Cooking" and although not all 300 recipes are spicy, they are full-flavored and reflect the world’s most popular cuisines.

Fresh Ways with Vegetables by the editors of Time-Life Books, published by Time-Life Books Inc, 1986. The recipes have more subtle flavors when compared with those in the two other cookbooks. The dishes photographs are excellent.

Write to The Vegetarian Resource Group, Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203 for more information.