Monday, September 2, 2013

Creative Ways To Eat More Fruits And Vegetables

 
Summer is the perfect time to think about increasing your fruit and vegetable intake. It doesn’t have to be stressful or overwhelming to eat more fruits and vegetables, and we’re guessing that most of us could use a boost. With so many of our favorites in season from watermelon and strawberries to summer squash and sugar snap peas, summer means a bucket of cherries on the beach and fresh zucchini on the grill. It can even mean blackberry pie or blueberry compote, it’s almost impossible not to take advantage of what the summer season has to offer.
As your grandmother most likely told you, eat your fruits and vegetables, and here’s how:

Visit your local Farmer’s Market – Not only is it just enjoyable and therapeutic to get out on a Sunday morning (or whatever day the Farmer’s Market is held in your neighborhood), but you can usually find great prices and a variety of fresh local produce. Try something new this week, like cooking with shallots instead of onions, you won’t be disappointed.

Start a garden - Even if it is a container garden on your balcony, there is something about growing your own vegetables, fruits or herbs that inspires healthier eating. And truthfully, you can’t get any more local than growing your own food.

Try a breakfast smoothie – Start your day with a fruit, vegetable or fruit and vegetable smoothie. You can buy one or make one, but either way, you can load up on several of the recommended daily servings that your body needs. Also, we like to add fresh broccoli to our smoothies when we make them at home, the flavor seems to complement fruits like strawberries and bananas when they are all blended together.

Plan your snacks – Think about the week ahead and the snacks you eat in the late morning and the late afternoon, and try to swap them out with fresh fruits and vegetables. We like baby carrots with hummus, apple slices with almond butter, dried fruits, and sliced avocado with salt and pepper.

Add more vegetables to your recipes – From salads and soups to pizza and pasta, you can add additional fresh vegetables to almost any meal. Add fresh eggplant to pizza, broccoli and shallots to pasta and almost any vegetable to a salad.
All of these strategies are very simple and easy to follow, and we have no doubt that you would increase your fruits and vegetables by following a few of these tips. Good luck and here’s to your health.

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