According to a recent report, Americans aren't eating enough fruits and veggies. Here's why your intake is so important--and how increasing it may be easier than you think.
When's the last time you ate something green? (We don't mean mint-chocolate-chip ice cream.) How about an actual fruit and not just something fruit flavored? If you haven't quite managed to make fruits and veggies a priority in your diet, you're not alone. A 2005 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 33% of adults ate two or more servings of fruit a day and 27% ate three or more servings of veggies.
So What?!
Even your mom didn't make quite this much fuss over eating your vegetables. But in recent years, experts have become increasingly aware of the many health benefits offered by fruits and vegetables. First, they supply important nutrients, including fiber, folate, potassium, and vitamins A and C. What's more, as part of an overall healthy diet, eating fruits and vegetables may help reduce the risks for stroke, other cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. As a bonus, most fruits and veggies are naturally low in fat, cholesterol, and calories, so they're a good part of a weight-loss or weight-maintenance program.
Making the Grade
"Some people perceive that fruits and vegetables are a lot of trouble," explains Cindy Moore, MS, RD, director of nutrition therapy at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. "But it's simply a matter of changing how you think about them and just sneaking them into dishes you eat regularly." Here are some of Moore's suggestions for making it easy to enjoy more produce.
Stay stocked. Produce is available fresh, canned, frozen, and even dried (think raisins and apricots). Add some of your family's favorites to your shopping list each week.
Forget the prep. Many supermarkets offer salad bars that have precut fruits and veggies. Also check the produce aisle for baby carrots, sliced peppers, pea pods, cabbage slaw, chopped broccoli, bagged salad greens, and other fast-fix options.
Keep it in sight. Always have a bowl of fresh fruit on the counter, or put out cut-up fruit to snack on as you're preparing a family meal.
Start mornings right. Aim to eat two servings of produce at breakfast. Serve strawberries on your cereal and a banana on the side. Enjoy a veggie omelet. Top your yogurt with fruit.
Take it "to go." Pack some fresh fruit and a bag of cut-up veggies to take to work. If you want to take along some low-fat dip, get a lunch box with an ice pack. Enjoy a piece of fruit for the commute home: It'll take the edge off your hunger so you won't be ravenous when making dinner.
Double up at dinner. If you typically eat a side of veggies with dinner, just serve yourself twice as much. Or have a dish of fruit too. You can also sneak frozen or canned veggies into your main course. Add corn to chili, make lasagna with spinach, top pizza with peppers or broccoli, add finely grated carrots to soups and spaghetti sauce, or mix cooked sweet potato into your casseroles.
