Here are 10 easy ways to work more fruits and vegetables into your diet.
Research shows that those of us who eat five or more servings of fruit and vegetables a day can reduce our risk of some cancers, hypertension and heart disease. The time is ripe: Give your diet the power of produce!
1. Make a plan
To get more fruits and vegetables in your meals, they need to make it into your shopping trolley. A good way to do that is to do your homework: take 15 minutes to make a list of produce that will complement your planned meals for the week.
2. Experiment with exotic options
Bok choy, papayas, mangoes, passionfruit, kiwifruit, artichokes, broccoli rabe, turnips — anything that looks different. For the best flavor, variety and quality, get picky in the produce section by buying in season.
3. Start early
As a general rule, the earlier in the day you start chipping away at your fruits-and-vegetable quota, the easier it is to get five or more servings in. Begin your day with an orange and a glass of vegetable juice, for example, and you've started on your servings before leaving the house!
4. Keep healthy snacks handy
That way, you're ready when hunger strikes at work. Fruits and vegetables good for commuting include raisins, containers of fresh juice and fruits that don't bruise easily, such as apples or oranges. Just don't forget about them, as they can quickly go off.
5. Sneak in vegetables with every meal
Give fruits and vegetables a starring role in the foods you already eat. Top off your morning cereal or yoghurt with bananas, berries or peaches. Layer sandwiches with extra tomato, onion and dark leafy greens such as spinach and watercress. Make a wrap with bean sprouts, shredded cabbage and slices of green or red capsicum. Heap salsa onto low-fat tortilla chips. Smuggle zucchini and carrots into pasta sauce, soup, stew and chilli. You get the idea!
6. Reorganise your fridge
What we choose to eat is often the first thing we see when we look in the fridge for a snack. Move your sealed bags of baby carrots, precut red and green capsicum strips and broccoli florets to the front of the top shelf instead of hiding them away in the crisper.
7. Enjoy a fruity dessert
End your meals with the sweet taste of fresh fruit. It's a bountiful supply of vitamins and minerals. Fruit—at any time—is a great way to get more heart-disease-fighting fibre.
8. Stock up with the good stuff
Make sure your pantry, fridge and freezer are always full of dried, canned, fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables. And keep in mind that legumes such as dried peas and beans are vegetables, too.
9. Build up your salad
Use the supermarket's salad bar to buy cut-up fruit and vegetables on days when you don't have time to chop. Also, if you're eating on the run, opt for the deli salad bar. But make sure you choose one that has a quick turnaround; you'll be more likely to get fresher, more nutritious produce. Many feature vegetable options such as beets, cherry tomatoes, three-bean salad and chickpeas. Just watch out for the oily, already-prepared vegetable salads.
10. Flavour up favourites with fresh herbs
Research shows that garlic and chives contain substances called allyl sulfides that help fight cancer. Rosemary and parsley are also believed to have anti-cancer properties. Those little extras can add to your healthy diet but not your ProPoints® allowance.
Article by weightwatchers.com.au
