In the 2010 Wimbledon Championship, John Isner and Nicolas Mahut served up the tennis ball for 11 hours and 5 minutes - the longest match ever. (Isner won.) Now, that's a lot of servings! And yet, people complain about having to eat nine or more servings of veggies and fruits a day!

The benefit of nine veggies a day is astounding. Seven servings (not even the nine we recommend) slash your risk of death at any point in time by 42 percent compared with folks who eat one serving a day. Fresh vegetables offer the best protection; each daily serving reduces your overall risk of death by 16 percent (salads by 13 percent) and each serving of fruit by 4 percent.

But only around 60 percent of you eat four servings of veggies a day at least four days a week. And french fries (your most favorite veggie) don't win you any points! So here's how you can ace your veggie-serves.

1. Start smart: At breakfast, try sliced tomatoes with 100 percent whole-grain toast; butternut squash puree added to oatmeal. Get creative. (1 serving)

2. Snack smart: Midmorning and afternoon grab carrot and celery spears with no-fat, no-sugar-added Greek yogurt or 1/4 cup hummus. (1-2 servings)

3. Lunch a bunch: Toss together 2 cups greens (2 servings), 1/4 cup tomato (1/2 serving), 2 tablespoons avocado (1/2 serving) and 1/4 cup blueberries (1/2 serving). (3 1/2 servings)

4. Dinner - and it's done: Enjoy mixed, steamed veggies (1 cup equals 2 servings) with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.