Leaf for Life and 5-a-Day

Since 1986 Leaf for Life has helped people in the United States, Bolivia, Brazil, India, El Salvador, Mexico and Nicaragua to improve their health by showing them ways to make better use of local vegetables, especially green leaf crops. We work with the International 5 a Day for Better Health Program, encouraging people to eat more locally grown fruits and vegetables for better health. Currently our effort is more focused near our base in Eastern Kentucky, where diet related health problems are prevalent.

Please use our website to learn how to “Bring the 5 a Day Program Home” to your community and to make the best use of green leaf crops. (See links below.)

What is the 5 A Day Program?

The 5 A Day for Better Health Program offers a simple, positive message: eat 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables every day for better health. The US National Cancer Institute and the Produce for Better Health Foundation, which represents the fruit and vegetable industry, jointly sponsor the program that began in 1991.

Why 5 A Day?

Over 200 studies showed that people who eat 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily have only half as many digestive and respiratory cancers as those who consume fewer than 2 servings a day. Many other studies have confirmed that a diet high in fruits and vegetables reduces the risks of obesity, heart disease, stroke and diabetes, as well as many forms of cancer.

Think Globally, Eat Locally

• 5 Reasons to Choose Locally Grown Fruits and Vegetables
• Grow Your Own 5 a Day Garden
• Planning a 5-A-Day Garden
• 5 a Day Garden Stars
• More Resources for Your 5 a Day Garden
• Extending Your 5 A Day Harvest
• A Taste of the Tropics
• Community Supported Agriculture
• Farmers Markets
• 5 On the Wild Side

Origins of 5 a Day

• Deep Roots of the Human Diet
• Farming Changes the Game
• The Industrial Diet
• Mechanization Takes Command
• Nutritional Detectives
• Antioxidants

The 5 Ages of 5 a Day