You’ve seen the headline: eating 7 or more servings of fruit and veggies daily decreases your risk of death by almost half, and does a better job of cutting the risk of cancer and heart disease than the currently recommended 5 servings. But how do you get to 7, you ask?
1) Sneak fruit or veggies into what you already eat: add berries or a banana to your cereal, dessert, or more fruit and veggies to your salad or sandwich. Grate carrot and other veggies into your dinner (ie., into spaghetti sauce, meatloaf, etc.).
2) Replace you afternoon snack with a shake. If you use a frozen banana, it will have ice-cream-like consistency. To stay full and have more energy, add protein powder (go vegan or use traditional whey).
3) Add a second side of veggies to your dinner plate. Try one familiar favorite and one new dish or random pick.
4) Replace mashed potatoes with “mashed” cauliflower. (Steam, then throw in the food processor—any number of spices can make this an exciting side!). Or, replace french fries with baked sweet potato fries!
5) How about fruit for dessert? You won’t get keyed up by sugar befor bed, and hey, swimsuit season is just around the corner!
6) Prep fruit and veggies in advance for munching thoughout the day. Wash it up/peel and prep during dinner prep the night before. A little lemon juice will keep apple slices fresh (soak briefly in a bowl), paper towels lining a bowl helps berries, and airtight storage will help avocado slices.
7) Finally, remember that the official definition of a serving size is really not very big. You don’t have to go crazy to hit 7 servings!
Are you upping your intake of veggies?
