Add Healthy Fruits and Vegetables to your Diet
In this day of fast food, busy families and long to-do lists, its hard to get the recommended 7-9 servings of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables build good health and keep age-related chronic diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure and cancer at bay.
In fact, the new U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 advises us to eat as many as 13 servings a day. A serving is considered to be about half a cup of cooked vegetables, or a serving about the size of your fist. A cup of leafy greens or a medium sized piece of fruit is also a serving.
Choose a wide variety of fruits and vegetables for a healthy diet
Vegetables and fruits which are deeply hued provide a wide range of minerals, vitamins, fiber. Their phytochemicals are natural plant compounds which help you maintain good health and protects you from the effects of aging and “age-related” diseases such as heart disease and cancer. .
As well as being good for your overall health, fruits and vegetables are also low in calories and fit into any diet or nutrition plan. Most require minimal preparation-just be sure to purchase organic when possible and wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating.
Variety is very important when eating fruits and vegetables because they all contain many different nutrients that your body needs. Choose fruits and veggies of dark red, yellow/orange, green and blue/purple when shopping and planning your meals.
Blue/Purple fruits and vegetables contain phytochemicals such as anthocyanins and phenolics which are being studied for the protection they offer for memory function, healthy aging, urinary tract health and the risk of some cancers
These foods include fruits such as berries, plums, raisins, purple grapes and vegetables such as purple varieties of cabbage, carrots, asparagus, peppers, eggplants.
Green fruits and veggies help vision with lutein and build strong bones and teeth, plus they provide a wide range of vitamins and minerals. Green fruits and veggies include avocados, green apples and grapes, pears, asparagus, broccoli, celery, peas, lettuce and leafy greens and brussel sprouts.
Yellow/orange fruits and veggies help maintain vision and heart health, as well as a healthy immune system. These also contain powerful antioxidants such as vitamin C. These fruits and vegetables include citrus fruits, pineapple, mango and cantaloupe as well as carrots, squash, pumpkin, sweet corn and sweet potatoes.
Red fruits and vegetables help maintain heart health, memory function and reduce the risk of some cancers. These include red apples, cherries, red grapes, pomegranates, red berries such as raspberries and strawberries and vegetables such as beets, red peppers, and tomatoes.
Easy ways to add fruits and vegetables to your diet
- Buy fruits and veggies fresh when possible, not canned (which contain added sugar) or dried. Frozen is also good as fruits and veggies are usually frozen soon after picking and retain most of their original nutritional value.
- Add a piece of fruit to each meal and make a fruit salad for every dinner.
- Keep carrots and celery washed and cut up in your refrigerator so it will be easy and convenient
- Add lettuce and tomato to your sandwich or wrap and take you own lunch to work.
- Eat at the salad bar when you eat out or need to stop for fast
- Try many of the 100% juices such as cherry and pomegranate instead of soda or sugary drinks.
Studies have shown that pre-cut packages of fruits and vegetables retain most of their nutritional value so it’s ok to buy already prepared if it is easier for you. This way is more costly, however. To save money, buy a head of lettuce, wash and cut it up and store in a gallon plastic bag. Add some already prepared spinach, some grated carrots and you have a salad in your own bag.
If you have trouble using all your fruits and veggies before they spoil, purchase a juicer and use up odds and ends, make a stew using whatever leftover veggies you have or make applesauce out of apples which are not crisp anymore.
Some ways to reduce the cost of fresh fruits and vegetables:
- Purchase what is in season
- Try farmers markets or produce stands for the freshest, locally grown produce.
- Join an organic produce co-op where you pay a set price each week or bi-monthly for whatever is in season and grown locally.
© Copyright 2009 by Path2HealthyLiving
