Upon complaining that it is impossible to eat 5 servings of fruit at the dining hall because they limit the amount of fruit you can take: 1 at breakfast, 1 at lunch, and max 2 at dinner or 4 if you don't eat a meal, I learned that the Dutch government only recommends 200 grams of fruit per day.
The Dutch Health Council recommends the following activities:
Take at least 30 minutes moderate intensity physical activity – brisk walking, cycling, gardening, etc – at least five days a week, but preferably every day.
Eat 150 to 200 grams of vegetables and 200 grams of fruit a day.
Eat 30 to 40 grams a day of dietary fibre, especially from sources such as fruit, vegetables and whole-grain cereal products.
Eat two portions of fish a week, at least one of which should be oily fish.
Limit saturated fatty acid consumption to less than 10 per cent of energy intake and mono trans-fatty acid consumption to less than 1 per cent of energy intake.
Limit consumption of foods and beverages that contain easily fermentable sugars and drinks that are high in food acids, to seven occasions a day (including main meals).
Limit consumption of table salt to 6 grams a day.
If alcohol is consumed at all, male intake should be limited to two Dutch units a day and female intake to one.
The US Food Pyramid recommends 3-5 servings of fruit (2 cups), 3-5 servings of vegetables (2.5 cups). So in general, the Dutch recommended diet lacks 3 extra servings of fruit and vegetables a day. No wonder I always feel crappy and gross: I'm not eating to my regular American standards.
