Many people know that a tomato is botanically a fruit. But, did you know that there are many other fruits in the produce department that we consider to be vegetables?
Take the green bean. According to the Produce for Better Health Foundation which sponsors the “Fruits and Veggies ... More Matters” campaign and website in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control, a green bean is actually a fruit. Other produce items that are technically fruits but that we often treat as vegetables include avocados, squash, eggplant, green pepper and okra.

Regardless of classification, when it comes to fruits and vegetables, most Americans do not eat enough of them. How much of each do you need? It varies according to age, sex, and activity level, but generally many American adults should be eating at least 2 ˝ cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit each day.

What about kids? I recently surveyed two groups of children about their vegetable and fruit intake. In a group of 25 kids, only 9 had eaten a green vegetable the day before, including lettuce. In a separate survey with a group of 6 kids, only one child had eaten any kind of vegetable the previous day.