So in all my studies of nutrition it has been repeatedly emphasized that we need to add more fruit and vegetables to our diets. Five a day is a MINIMUM not a maximum. We especially need to add more green leafy and cruciferous vegetables to our diets as they are not only highly nutritious but cancer-preventative. So here are some suggestions how to do this.
Suggestions for increasing vegetable and fruit intake.
Suggestions for increasing vegetable and fruit intake.
- Try one new fruit or vegetable each week.
- Double normal serving sizes for vegetables.
- Eat fruit on cereal or muesli (not just bananas but also apples, grapes, berries, peaches and mandarin oranges).
- Have all-vegetable based meals (e.g. vegetable chili or stew).
- Eat fruit as a snack.
- Eat dried fruit instead of candy.
- Drink fruit or vegetable juice instead of soft drinks.
- Have fruit salad for dessert (layer a fruit parfait with soya yogurt or add a few chocolate shavings or nuts to a bowl of fruit).
- Have baked fruit for dessert (e.g. apples, peaches, pears, or bananas).
- Take raw vegetable platters to parties (include raw sweet potato sticks, asparagus, green beans, jicama, red pepper rings, zucchini, broccoflower, in addition to the more common carrot and celery sticks).
- Add vegetables to favorite entrees (e.g. tacos, spaghetti, pizza, lasagna).
- Make frozen fruit kabobs for kids (use pineapple, bananas, strawberries).
- Eat vegetarian meals more often.
- Eat more international dishes (e.g. Italian pasta primavera, Moroccan stew, Mexican vegetable Enchiladas, Spanish paella, Oriental stir-frys, Indian curries, Greek vegetable moussaka, Provencal ratatouille)