On average, Americans only consume three servings of fruits and vegetables each day. And that’s a crying shame. Study after study reveals that people who regularly eat five-plus servings of nature’s bounty enjoy several health benefits. Want to decrease your risk of stroke by 26 percent? Eat five or more servings per day. Want to lose weight? Focus on eating more fiber-rich vegetables. Want to combat free radical damage that can lead to a variety of health concerns? Load up on antioxidant-rich fruits.
You see where this is going. If you want to get healthier, you need to follow Mom’s advice and eat those veggies (and fruits). If you can make them organic, all the better. The following are 10 easy ways to incorporate more of these healthful foods into your daily routine.
1. Drink a glass of Low-Sodium V8 Juice with breakfast. (At the Whitaker Wellness Institute, this is the only “juice” that you’ll find on the tables.)
2. Eat an apple or a pear for a snack or before a meal to help fill you up so you’ll eat less.
3. Instead of a sandwich at lunch, have a salad with lots of colorful veggies. If you must have the sandwich, go open-face and pile it high with tomatoes, lettuce, onion, sprouts, olives, and peppers.
4. Freeze a bunch of grapes and enjoy them as an afternoon treat or as “dessert.”
5. Make a berry smoothie using plain, non-fat yogurt, ice, and a little stevia or xylitol as a sweetener.
6. Top your fish dishes with mango salsa.
7. Try a grilled portabella mushroom for dinner.
8. Add extra frozen veggies to canned or homemade soups or other dishes.
9. Dip snap peas, baby tomatoes, carrots, celery, or broccoli florets in hummus for a tasty and healthy snack.
10. Add blueberries, cranberries, or strawberries to your salads.
There you have it. If you have tips of your own for upping your vegetable and fruit intake, I’d love to hear them. Send your comments to [email protected].
