Despite constant messaging about eating better, most people still fall short of daily recommendations. For years, public health campaigns have urged people to eat five servings a day of fruits and vegetables. But that advice often feels overwhelming, especially if your current intake is low. It’s not for lack of information. The problem is motivation, follow-through and how the goal is presented.
What if a simpler, more personal approach could make a bigger impact? That’s exactly what a team of researchers from Bournemouth University in the U.K. wanted to find out. Their study looked at how people respond to different types of health advice, and whether changing the way we frame a goal — even slightly — could affect real behavior.1
They weren’t just interested in what people were told. They focused on what people felt they could actually do. And as it turns out, believing a goal is achievable matters more than the goal itself. Their findings offer a powerful reframe: If you want lasting change, don’t start by aiming high. Start by making it feel easy. Let’s take a closer look at what they discovered.
Small, Easy Goals Trigger Greater Follow-Through
A study published in Appetite explored a key question in public health messaging: Does it matter how hard a nutrition goal sounds when you’re trying to change your eating habits?2 The research focused on fruit and vegetable consumption and tested whether people were more likely to follow through when the goal felt achievable — like eating “just one more” portion per day — versus the standard “five-a-day” recommendation.
• Participants were university students, a group known for poor diet habits — The researchers recruited 127 students and divided them into three groups: one received a magnet reminding them to eat five portions of fruits and vegetables daily, another was told to eat just one more portion than they currently consumed, and a third group received no goal at all.
Each participant tracked their intake using food diaries before and after receiving their assigned message.
• Both goals led to better results than no goal at all — The study found that simply having a goal — whether it was “eat one more” or “eat five a day” — led to significantly greater fruit and vegetable consumption compared to those who were given no dietary message. That means giving someone any target to aim for improved behavior.
• What mattered most was how easy the goal felt — The type of goal (one more versus five a day) didn’t significantly affect outcomes on its own. But participants who felt that the goal was easier to follow ate more fruits and vegetables — regardless of which goal they were given. The perception of difficulty played a bigger role than the goal itself.
• Ease of the goal strongly predicted success — When participants rated their assigned goal as easy, their final fruit and vegetable intake increased. Statistically, every one-point increase in “ease” was linked to a 0.3 serving bump in daily produce consumption. That finding highlights the value of making the target feel doable, especially for people who struggle with motivation.
• Effort and starting habits also influenced behavior — People who said they tried harder to follow their goal also showed better outcomes, a reminder that motivation and self-initiation matter. Additionally, those who were already eating more fruits and vegetables before the study were more likely to succeed with either goal.
Believability Beats Pressure in Driving Real Change
Interestingly, people’s future intentions to eat more produce weren’t significantly affected by whether they got a goal or not. However, those who reported being more aware of their fruit and vegetable intake did show stronger intentions to keep improving. Awareness, not instruction, influenced long-term planning.
• The takeaway: ease beats pressure — The five-a-day group didn’t perform worse, but they didn’t perform better either. What the researchers found instead is that when people feel the goal is manageable, they’re more likely to take action — regardless of what the goal technically says. Framing the message to sound easier helps bypass mental resistance.
• Why this matters for real-world behavior change — Most nutrition advice focuses on what people should do. This study shifts the focus to what people feel able to do. That subtle psychological difference — between being told a hard rule and being invited into a small win — proved to be the real lever of change.
• Design matters in public health messaging — This wasn’t about strict diets, punishments or food tracking. It was about priming your brain to say “yes” to something that feels possible. Whether you’re trying to eat better, move more or sleep longer, starting with a goal that feels achievable makes it more likely you’ll follow through.
Start with What’s Easy, Not What’s Perfect
If you’ve been struggling to eat better, stop thinking in terms of perfection. The five-a-day rule sounds good on paper, but if you’re not there yet, it’s just noise. The key to building healthier habits — especially when it comes to fruit and vegetable intake — is starting with one small, manageable change. That change has to feel doable right now, not someday.
If you rarely eat produce, jumping from zero to five servings a day will feel like a mountain. And that’s exactly why most people don’t try. But there’s a smarter way — one that actually works for real people with real lives. It’s about building momentum by starting where you are, not where someone says you should be. Here’s how to get moving in the right direction, with results you’ll actually notice:
1. Pick one meal and improve that meal only — Instead of trying to overhaul your whole diet, start with breakfast, lunch or dinner. Choose whichever is easiest for you to change. If you usually skip fruit in the morning, try adding half a banana to your breakfast. If dinner’s your weak spot, steam some broccoli with grass fed butter. Keep it simple and don’t worry about being perfect.
2. Make it a game by tracking “one more” each day — Use a sticky note or a whiteboard to track just one thing: Did you eat one more fruit or veggie than yesterday? That’s it. Turning this into a daily challenge builds momentum — and that little success will start to feel good. You’ll build confidence, which makes bigger changes easier down the road.
3. Use convenience to your advantage — If prepping produce is where you get stuck, plan ahead. Cut large fruits like watermelon in advance so you’re ready with a quick snack for the week. Keep fruit like apples, clementines or grapes on hand so you don’t have to think about it. The easier it is to say yes, the more likely you’ll keep going.
4. Stop aiming for five — aim for “better than yesterday” — If your brain shuts down when you hear nutrition rules, ignore them for now. Your new goal is simple: just do better than the day before. If yesterday you ate no vegetables, one carrot counts as progress. Over time, small gains add up — and you’ll look back and realize you’ve changed your whole routine.
5. Celebrate the tiny wins like they’re huge — Your brain loves rewards. So, when you hit your “one more” for the day, mark it. Literally check it off a list or say it out loud. Each win signals your brain that you’re someone who follows through — someone who’s building a healthier life, one step at a time.
That identity shift is where real change begins. When something feels doable, it becomes doable. And when it becomes doable, it sticks. So, stop chasing perfect and start chasing progress — one bite at a time.
FAQs About Dietary Goals to Increase Fruit and Vegetable Intake
Q: What’s the most effective way to increase my fruit and vegetable intake?
A: Start small. Instead of aiming for five servings a day right away, focus on adding just one more fruit or vegetable than you ate the day before. This makes the goal feel doable and helps you build momentum over time.
Q: Why is “just one more” more effective than the “five-a-day” rule?
A: According to research published in Appetite, people are more likely to follow through when the goal feels easy.3 A smaller, more achievable goal increases motivation and makes it more likely you’ll stick with the habit long term.
Q: How does tracking “one more” help me stick to the habit?
A: Tracking gives you a clear visual of your progress, turning your healthy choice into a win. This activates a sense of accomplishment and self-efficacy, which boosts your confidence and encourages you to keep going.
Q: What if I don’t have time to prep fruits and vegetables?
A: Plan ahead and pre-cut large fruits like melon or pineapple in advance, so it’s ready to grab when you need it. This removes the friction that often stops people from adding more produce to their meals.
Q: Is it OK to celebrate small successes, even if I only added half a banana?
A: Absolutely. Celebrating small victories reinforces your identity as someone who’s making healthier choices. This mindset shift is essential for lasting change and helps you feel successful even when the steps are small.