Fruit ‘n Veggie Tips
Join my October 5-a-day Fruit and Veggie Challenge!
Why do you need fruits and vegetables?
According to Harvard School of Public Health, “Fruits and vegetables are a good source of vitamins and minerals, including folate, vitamin C and potassium. They're an excellent source of dietary fiber, which can help to maintain a healthy gut and prevent constipation and other digestion problems. A diet high in fiber can also reduce your risk of bowel cancer.”
A diet rich in vegetables and fruits can impact health in a positive way without the side effects of drugs that attempt to take their natural place. Fruits and veggies, lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, prevent some types of cancer, lower risk of eye and digestive problems, and have a positive effect upon blood sugar, which can help keep appetite in check. Eating non-starchy vegetables and fruits like apples, pears, and green leafy vegetables may even promote weight loss. Their low glycemic loads prevent blood sugar spikes that can increase hunger.
So, you know they are good for you, how do you eat more of them you ask?
Here are a few of my tips:
1. Keep fruit where you can see it. Place washed and ready to go fruits in a basket so that when that snack or sweet craving comes, you can grab ‘n go!
I added a smile to make my fruit basket even more appealing!
2. Prep fruits and veggies. Wash, cut up, and store fruits and vegetables in the frig in glass containers. That way when you want a snack you see the fruit and even if you head to the frig, you have the frig loaded too! Isn’t having it handy the biggest battle anyway?
Putting fruits in a jar like this helps them keep longer! Try it!
3. Shop produce for variety and color. Make it fun and eat the rainbow. Each color has it’s unique health benefits. One most days try to get at least one serving of dark leafy greens, yellow, orange or red fruits and veggies and a citrus fruit.
Glazed Rainbow or Heritage carrots are visually appealing and soooo delicious!
4. Make veggies the main part of the meal. Create fun salads that are topped with fruits and protein. Experiment with color and make it a beautiful thing to eat. Salads like a chef salad can be any mix of ingredients. You can also puree veggies to make filling soups or stir fries to incorporate veggies in a different way.
5. Make a new recipe a week. The American Heart Association has a great site to find new healthy recipes. You can type in whatever food you want, maybe Bok Choy and find a recipe for it. The Harvard group also has a site for healthy meal ideas to try.
Try a veggie burger and load it up with more veggies! YUM!!!
6. Make fun fruit and veggie trays. Our eyes really pull us in. Use that to your advantage and create enticing fruit trays and veggie trays for snacks, to take to special occasions and holidays and for your family! Celebrate life with a colorful fruit and veggie tray!
I hope these ideas gave you some motivation to add more fruits and veggies to your meals today! Get a grocery list made up, shop the produce section and then when you get home, do the prep. It will save you time, money (as you won’t be throwing out fruits and veggies or wasting money on chips, candy and soda) and create a new healthy habit that will not only improve your health, but your mood and appearance!
You are what you eat!