Eating fruit and vegetables is important when it comes to eating a healthy and nutritional balanced diet that gives your body everything that it needs to work as it should. Eating fruits and veggies means that you consume more vitamins and minerals. Most are high in fiber, which aids your digestion, and fruit is the best way to get an energy boost without reaching for an unhealthy sugary snack.
Fruits and vegetables are also high in water, helping you to keep hydrated and taking care of your skin, nails, and hair. Another big plus of fruit and vegetables is that they are low in calories. They are an easy way to bulk out meals and snacks; filling up without overeating or consuming more calories than you are burning off.
The recommendations around how many portions of fruit and veggies we should eat every day differ and change over time. They also depend on how many calories you should be eating each day. Some countries recommended five portions; others say five fruit and five veg. Most agree that these should be portions of different fruits and vegetables. The current version of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that a person needing 2,000 calories a day should include 2 cups of fruit and 2.5 cups of vegetables every day. That might sound like a lot, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are some great ways to eat more fruits and vegetables!
Start with a Smoothie
A smoothie is a great way to get plenty of fruit and veg into your diet before you even leave the house. Blend together a banana, a portion of strawberries, and a handful of oats with a serving of almond milk for a healthy and filling start. Banana, mango, and pineapple also tastes great and gives you three different fruits in one glass. Experiment with different combinations, and add oats for healthy protein. I like to add spinach and kale to my smoothies, because you can’t taste it! This works great when you want to trick your kids into eating veggies.
If you find that drinking a smoothie doesn’t fill you up, try eating it instead. Smoothie bowls are often more filling simply because we eat them instead of drinking them.
Prepare Some Healthy Snacks
If you are hungry when you are out and about, or even at home, do you reach for something quick and easy? How often is this fruit? Never? Rarely?
Make fruit and vegetables readily available and easy to grab, and you’ll eat more of it. You could even carry some chopped fruit or veg sticks in your bag when you are out. Prepare some fruit salads and veg sticks so that there’s always something easy to reach for when you are hungry.
Learn Some New Recipes
Fruits and vegetables can get boring. Learn some new recipes, and ways to cook and serve them (like this tasty Jamaican cabbage), and they might become a more exciting part of your diet.
Try New Fruits and Vegetables
If you are sticking to all of your old favorites, this is a great time to branch out. Try some more exotic fruit or veggies that you’ve never had before. Remember, canned (without added sugar), dried, and frozen count as much as fresh!
Add Vegetables to Your Meals
A great way to enjoy more vegetables is to add more to your meals. Fry up some peppers and onions to add to pasta dishes, fill pies with carrots and parsnips, and blend plenty of veggies into a healthy soup.
•How do you get more fruits and veggies into your daily nutrition?
Thank you for reading!
This post was a collaboration.
