The Challenge

• Eat 800 grams (g) of fruits and/or vegetables (total) a day.
• No foods are restricted during the challenge but only fruits and vegetables count towards the 800g total.
• Total calories (and macronutrient grams) are up to the individual based on their fruit and vegetable choices, as well as the other foods in their diet.

The Nitty-Gritty

• The key is that you can weigh the item as a standalone or unprocessed item. It does not matter if the item is cooked, canned, frozen, or fresh.  
• Dried fruits/vegetables and juices do not count towards the total.

• You cannot count fruits or vegetables in processed or packaged foods. Potatoes as potato chips, peas in a chicken pot pie, apples in apple pie, do. not. count.  
• You can count fruit and vegetables you weigh before making a recipe applied to the serving you consume (i.e., veggies in a chili, ingredients for blending in a smoothie). 
• Canned items are ok if canned in water and/or spices only, like canned black beans, and you weigh the drained solids. 
• Refuse (peels, cores, or skins) that are not consumed should not be included. 
• The expectation is that you weigh and measure at home, work, etc. You can eyeball fruits and vegetables from restaurants (no need to break out the scale for ordering broccoli). We expect you to use a restaurant’s website nutrition information where available (e.g., Chipotle).  Be sure you estimate appropriately: leafy greens do not weigh much (~25g a cup) and most restaurant vegetable portions are often ~75-85 grams.
• As for the cooking oil, assuming it is a standard light coating, do not worry about the oil contribution and weigh the item cooked.
• You can cheat any diet or system. Go with the spirit of the challenge and when in doubt, do not count it.

The “Yes/Nos”

Hopefully, we don’t have to list all the existing fruits and vegetables!  You know these. Here are a few exceptions that can be confusing:

• Avocado: A fruit! Count it.
• Coconut: A fruit!  Count it if you eat it as the fresh meat.  Liquid (milk and juices) and dried (flakes) coconut products do not count.
• Corn: As in corn on the cob or whole kernels, count it!  Corn derivatives (i.e., cornmeal, popcorn (derived from dried kernels)) do not count.
• Fermented/pickled foods (e.g., kimchi, sauerkraut, pickles): Assuming its just vegetables and weighed (relatively) drained, these count. If the brine includes sugar, it does not count.
• French fries: No. Commercially fried anything is out for the 800g total. Cut up potatoes roasted at home are fair game.
• Grains (like quinoa or buckwheat) do not count.
• Legumes (beans) and peas: Except for peanuts, count them!
• Olives: A fruit! Count them.
• Nuts: Do not count towards your total.  
• Tomato derivatives (e.g., salsa, tomato sauce): If the entire ingredient list is vegetables and spices, count it. Most tomato sauces, salsas, etc., however, include water, oil, and/or sugar in the ingredient list, such that they do not count.  

Per above, you can cheat any diet or system.  If you are questioning if something counts, it probably does not.