by Deborah Jones, RD, LN
Director of Nutrition Services at
Did you start 2008 with a resolution to lose weight or start an exercise program?
Has that ambition waned? Consider altering your resolution to improve your diet
by including more fruit and vegetable servings as more matters. The new food
guide pyramid recommends fruits and vegetables in cups instead of servings. A
25-year old woman that gets 30 to 60 minutes of activity each day needs 3 cups
of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit daily.
There's plenty of scientific evidence to document the health benefits of a diet rich
in fruits and vegetables. Fruits and veggies are brimming with disease-fighting p
hytochemicals, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fiber, water, complex
carbohydrates, and protein. Not only that, but they're naturally low in sodium and
calories, cholesterol-free and virtually fat-free.
It's important to eat a rainbow of colored fruits and vegetables every day. A
balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables is your body’s best defense against
obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and other chronic diseases.
The pigments in fruit and veggies act as antioxidants -- helping to rid your body of
"free radicals," that can damage cells.
With two-thirds of American adults overweight, the weight-control benefits of
fruits and vegetables are especially important. Fruits and vegetables contain plenty
of fiber and water to help you feel full, and thus prevent overeating. Substituting
fruits and vegetables for "empty calorie" foods that offer little nutritional value can
really make a difference in your weight
Consider including fruit and vegetable servings in a number of ways in each of
your meals:
Add dried or fresh fruit to oatmeal, granola or bran cereal for breakfast
Add fresh fruits (apples, diced raw pears, mandarin orange sections) to
your salad greens
Replace iceberg lettuce with more nutrient rich greens like spinach and
romaine
Serve a platter of raw veggies (carrot or sweet potato sticks, celery,
cauliflower or broccoli, cherry tomatoes, pea pods) as your appetizer and
to stave off the hunger pains as you are in the midst of dinner preparations
Prepare vegetable based salad and fresh fruit for your lunch the night before
Steam and puree nutrient rich veggies to add to a variety of entrees,
desserts and soups. Carrots or pumpkin in muffin recipes, cauliflower in
potato soup, butternut squash in meatloaf, and spinach in lasagna all add
extra nutrients to the other wise simple dish.
Try eating at least 2 vegetables with dinner like a baked sweet potato and
steamed broccoli with herbed chicken breast and whole wheat toast.
Freeze grapes and bananas for a refreshing and cool treat.
Take the easy way out. Buy prepared vegetables that make it easy to
include them in meals. Or drink vegetable juice instead of eating a tomato.
Check out the following websites for recipes and more ideas for including
more fruits and veggies in your diet.
http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/