Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Yes You CAN Eat More Fruits and Veggies!

Before I get to today's post I want to thank you for all of your wonderful comments on my last post after my first biathlon! I'm still sore, actually, but I really can't wait to to it again. It won't be anytime soon, but I'm more motivated to stay in shape and push myself even harder when I do my workouts, everyday. I seriously needed that motivation because I was getting extremely bored and tired of my workouts. Now I have a goal in mind and that is to eventually do a triathlon..... :)


Today I'm going to talk about how to get more fruits and vegetables in your diet. A while ago a friend ask me for some tips on this very subject. Starting today you will no longer be able to make excuses for not getting enough fruits and vegetables in your diet. Here are my tips for consuming 5-9 servings of vegetables and fruits each day.

  • Don't believe that canned and frozen fruits and veggies are less healthy. Sure, canned fruits have more sugar and canned vegetables have more sodium, but that's why we have strainers and water to rinse them off (you can omit about 40% of the sugar and sodium by straining and rinsing). And frozen? They are often loaded with even more nutrients than their fresh counterparts.

  • Don't force yourself to like certain fruits and vegetables because of something lame you've heard on TV or in a magazine. All fruits and vegetables are good for you, period. Keep the ones you do like around all the time. Brussel sprouts may be incredibly healthy, but if you don't like them, don't force yourself to eat them! Broccoli, cabbage, kale and cauliflower are just as good for you.

  • Create your favorite dishes, but just make them a bit healthier by adding extra vegetables and/or fruits (afterall, many nutrients aren't absorbed without the help of some fat!)
Example 1: Loaded sweet potato fries with black beans, red pepper, avocado, and cheese. That's about three whole servings of vegetable!






Example 3; pizza with lots of extra veggies (the right side was Nick's. Ahem....he doesn't always take my advice)



  • Fruits and vegetables are perfect foods to eat when you are full but you still want something to munch on. Find something you like, and eat it!

Examples; carrots and celery with hummus, cucumbers with salsa, oranges, apples and dessert hummus (beans, my friends!), dried fruits, or these delicious vegetable chips below (HINT: if you want the benefits of vegetables in a chip, look for veggie chips that are actually made from veggies, not veggie powders)



  • Remember, the ChooseMyPlate logo is just a guideline. Be creative in making half your plate fruits and vegetables. Mix your foods together for a combination of protein, grains, dairy (or dairy alternatives) and veggies/fruits!
Source: ChooseMyPlate.gov

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  • Pack raw veggies and fruits for snacks at work, or look for the fruit-based snack bars (HINT: Larabars are a great example, but there are many others out there too. Look for real fruit, not just fruit juice concentrate, in the ingredient list)


  • SMOOTHIES are a perfect way to get at least three servings of fruits and vegetables into your diet.
Example: This smoothie has almost three full servings of fruits/veggies; banana, blueberry, sweet potato, orange pulp and spinach/dark greens. And did you notice that this smoothie includes all the different colors of produce?!


  • Be creative! Who says you can't have pumpkin or sweet potato with your oats?


And who says you can't add spinach, kale, sweet potato or pumpkin to your smoothie, like the above photo?


Who says you can't eat the pulp leftover from making orange juice?



Who says you can't put broccoli in a quesadilla?




Who says you can't add spinach to polenta, even if the recipe doesn't call for it?




  • Last, but not least, enjoy the fresh produce that is bountiful this summer. It's almost a sin to ignore it.





QUESTION:
What are some of your tips for including more fruits and veggies in your diet?







27 comments :

  1. Good reminders. I love the tip to not force yourself to eat something you simply don't. The frozen is fine information is also important. The BPA's in most canned goods worry me. Also curious what you feel is too much fruit. Good ideas and great job with the race.

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  2. Great post Gina! I agree with you that it doesn't matter HOW you get them in...just get them in! I DO have to agree with Lauren in that I try not to buy too many canned goods but when working with low-income, if that's how they want to get their fruits or veggies, I'm all about it! It's a great stepping stone! I eat lots of both fruits and veggies and squeeze them in to just about every meal and snack! Love your suggestions!

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  3. I LOAD up my morning smoothies with fruits and veggies-- that way, I already know I've gotten in a bunch of servings before the day has even really started!

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  4. I love this post :) I think the most important points are that canned and frozen are OKAY! They've gotten such a bad rap and it's unfortunate! And second, I love that you mentioned fat-soluble vitamins. Fat is good with fruits and veggies for absorption, woop, woop! I always include 1 fruit or vegetable with all meals and I only snack on fruits and veggies, so no matter what, I'm getting 5 servings, MINIMUM, a day. I would imagine it's closer to 6-7, though :)

    P.S. Just emailed you back - that's perfect!

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  5. I use pretty much the same tips you mentioned---my only other one is to plan ahead for eating as much as possible (and have the veg on hand in the freezer or cupboard). If it's not there or difficult to prepare, and you're hungry...you're going to skip the healthy stuff! So prepping stuff ahead, having things ready before you're hungry, and buying ahead of time...those help me a lot.

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  6. Great post! I love adding extra veggies to anything, it makes getting in those extra servings so much easier.

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  7. Hi Gina, this is my first time visiting your site! This is a great post. I get asked all the time by moms and dads how to get their kids to eat more fresh fruits and veggies. You demonstrated some great recipes on how to acheive more than your 5 a day goal. I love making smoothies for my small boys, I add veggies and fruit and throw in some nutritional boosts such as flax, chia seeds, oat bran, etc. depending on the flavor combo I'll add their lemon cod live oil too. Great site and you gotta a new subscriber!

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  8. Love it! So easy to sneak 'em in! I always put berries and/or banana on my cereal or oatmeal, pile my sandwiches and wraps high with veggies, and put veggies in pizza, omelets, quiches, etc.

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  9. Great Post.

    Soup and tomato sauce. Great options for adding lots of veggies.

    Also, desserts. Whenever I make a dessert, I always balance it out with lots of fruit. YUM!

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  10. Umm... I think I'll have a number one please...
    Those loaded sweet potato fries look amazing!!!

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  11. Interesting to learn that canned fruit is not so bad. I always feel like there are too many preservatives and so much sugar in these so I tend to avoid them. Does straining really help that much? I guess it is better than nothing.
    I do eat a lot of frozen fruit, mostly in smoothies.

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  12. I love green veggies so much that I can eat a bowl of it plain with some good japanese soy sauce! :)
    these are great tips! I'm sure your friend got some good ideas!

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  13. Great reminder Gina, thanks! What better time that the middle of summer when the fruits and veg are affordable and plentiful to start getting more each day. I love making soup at the end of the week when the crisper contents are "so-so" and use up all the veggies that way. Hope your week is going well.

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  14. You have definitely made eating vegetables more appealing!

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  15. I love frozen vegetables!! I often find that they are cheaper than the fresh counterparts :)

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  16. Great tips. I love to add baby spinach to smoothies and kale as a base for pretty much any pasta dinner. I don't have any problem getting in fruits and veg though because they're my favorite!

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  17. I like the tip of adding veggies into things you already eat. I never ever make pasta without throwing in a bunch of veggies, same with pizza. My only big problem with veggies is that my stomach likes them cooked so much more than raw and I find that to be such a big pain in my butt haha

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  18. Nice tips, girl!
    I love adding spinach to smoothies, chopping up veggies for the week to dip in hummus for snacks, and adding them to pasta dishes.

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  19. I started salivating just watching your photos (waiting for my lunch to get ready..).

    Is there a recipe to that black bean sweet potato thing? I've been looking for creative black bean recipes!

    Cheers,

    Satu

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  20. Fruit has never been hard to build into my day. Veggies on the other hand were typically only served at dinner. Recently, I started swapping out one of my fruit servings for a veggie serving (I get plenty of fruit servings). I have seen small changes in my body since doing this that I'm liking!

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  21. Great tips! Since we have been "homeless" for like 2 weeks now and have a few more to go, I try to grab fruit where ever I can, but it is tough. I made sure to order a salad with dinner last night and then a pasta primavera dish so I got a lot of good colored produce in. Of course I followed this up with a cannoli in Little Italy. Hope all is well with you.

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  23. Hey Gina, what about pickles? Would you count that as a vegetable? I know sometimes Koreans eat kimchi as a "vegetable..." and I was wondering if that counted still as a veggie serving.

    I eat enough vegetables (I think), but not enough fruits these adays...Fruits seem to get more and more expensive!

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  24. I love to dig up all the leftover veggie bits in my fridge and make it into an egg scramble. The eggs, added garlic, and whatever sauce I use "connect" the other flavors so everything goes together.

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  25. My favourite tip you listed is the one about eating the fruits/veggies you enjoy. I hate seeing articles written about why "such and such vegetable" is so much healthier for you than all the others, because it makes people feel like they have to eat that vegetable to be healthy, and the other ones they eat just aren't as good. If you don't like it, find something you do like. Because you will eat more if you actually enjoy it!

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  26. note taken! i'll be sure to add more fruits and veggies into my diet ;) hahaha

    i think one of the sneakiest and best ways is in smoothies! especially int he morning. people are always shocked when i make a huge banana smoothie and put spinach in there and they can't even tell!

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  27. Very good reminders!

    I think it's so important to eat what you like and not force food down you don't like. You just won't eat enough of it. However, it's also good to keep an open mind and try veggies and fruits you think you don't like prepared in a different way.

    I plan all our meals around veggies and fruits. That way I make sure they are the star of our meals.

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