Studies done by the American Dietetic Association suggest that fewer than 15% of Americans eat the minimum recommended amount of fruits and vegetables every day. I've seen similar estimates from Canada as well.
I think it's sad. While other experts argue about how awesome low-fat or low-carb or low-whatever diets are, I'd rather find ways to get people eating more fruits and vegetables - especially the dark green and colorful kinds. Today I'm asking for your help. If you eat more than five servings of vegetables every day, how do you do it? If you don't eat enough, why not?
I'll go first. I like to keep fruit on the countertop so it's easy to grab an apple or a banana for a quick snack. And I frequently eat a sizable salad for lunch, or if I don't eat a salad, my lunch is usually a big plate of vegetables.
I serve 1-2 servings of vegetables with dinner every night, and since my lunch is usually leftovers, it contains 1-2 servings also. I eat fruit with breakfast and pack 1-2 servings of fruit to eat as snacks. This amount of fruits and vegetables is relatively easy for me to get if I don’t eat out – although my total only comes to 4 servings of vegetables per day and 2-3 servings of fruit.
IN A PERFECT WORLD YOU SHOULD CONSUME 1 POUND OF FRESH RAW VEGETABLES FOR EVERY 50 POUNDS OF BODY WEIGHT. THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE FOR MOST WORKING ADULTS. I RECOMMEND THAT YOU TRY TO EAT 1 POUND OF RAW VEGETABLES EACH DAY. FRUITS ARE A DIFFERENT STORY. MOST FRUITS HAVE BEEN GENETICALLY MODIFIED AND CONTAIN HIGH LEVELS OF FRUCTOSE, YOUR BETTER OFF EATING THE PEEL AND DISGARDING THE PULP. EAT MORE VETETABLES AND LESS FRUIT, REDUCE THE INTAKE OF PROCESSED SUGARS AND CARBOHYDRATE. THATS MY GOOD HEALTH TIP FOR TODAY.
The only fruit that is genetically modified at this time is the hawaiian papaya. It should be avoided. (I’m talking about genetic modification here, not hybridization. Hybridization has been used in agriculture for hundreds of years and poses no health risks. However, it is sometimes confused with genetic modification – which IS a health risk.) The only thing we need to worry about as far as fruit is concerned is the possible pesticide or herbicide residue. So organic is best. Unless you are on a very low sugar diet, you don’t need to worry about the fructose in fruit. The fructose you do need to worry about is from normal table sugar, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and processed foods, etc. , but NOT from fruit. So grab that apple or that orange and enjoy!
It is quite difficult to eat 5 servings of each a day in winter. In summer fruit smoothies to drink and lots of veggie & fruit salads to eat, makes it very easy to have 5 servings a day of each.
I am retired and live alone and am quite a ‘veggie’ fan. These are the vegetables that I buy most every week: carrots, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, leeks, mushrooms, bell peppers, celeriac, onions, garlic, fresh ginger, beansprouts, kohlrabi, potatoes and whatever else takes my fancy.
I use the veggies for stir fries but as you can imagine, I end up with loads of spare veggies at the end of the week. Whatever is left over gets thrown into a pot without any oil or fat, but together with some vegetable stock and gets made into PURE vegetable soup. There is usually enough soup to freeze and serve me as lunches throughout the following week. Any left-over ham gets thrown in as well as this adds some nice flavour.
It’s not at all difficult to eat five servings a day at any time of year. The supermarkets are stuffed with fruit and vegetables, not all in season but they’re there.
We’re 72 and have fruit (fresh grapefruit, melon or pineapple at breakfast, an apple, pear, banana, orange or grapes with our lunch and three or four vegetables in the evening, either cooked or raw or both.
Sorted!
I usally have 10 seriving of fruits & veggies a day. It’s easy for me. 1 green shake for breakfast(4.5-5 serving of veggies) 3 peice of fruit for luch. Something for a snack I have delicious fruit smooties!! The rest of the day I wing it & next thing I know 10-12 serving in one day. This happens 6 days a week. 7? No,I’m not perfect, but I try.lol
I dont know how many grams a serving of vegetables is – but I do eat alot, 1-2 pounds a day. They are the better part of my diet. Botn my lunch and dinner are mainly veggies with some form of protein. I’m a working mom of 2 (husband works away) and the only way I can manage eating like this is preplanning meals and cooking in bulk. It takes time cutting up veggies, and some of them take a long time to cook. So two nights a week I cook up a storm of veggies (oven baked root veggies or a veg-lasagna for example). Grabbing some raw carrots or tomatoes for lunch is easy.
I also have a huge bowl of fruit available on the kitchen countertop and have found that my children do eat more fruit since I did that. I also make fruit and veggie smoothies – and the children are crazy about those! Newest craze is a spinach/banana/blueberry smoothie.
I dont think its that hard eating more veggies – people think the amount is huge, but you dont have to eat 2 pounds of veg a day on top of everything else – adding more veg means you dont have room for some of the “bad” stuff =o)
I have stage 4 Colo rectal cancer. Have already been through surgery and this is the first time I have seriously considered staying on a vegan diet. It has slowly affected my energy level, my blood pressure is down to the ideal rate, to the point that I am totally off my prescribed med from my general doctor. I drink a tremendous amount of water and smaller amounts of fruit juices a day. I have a very simple diet. I can’t eat heavy amounts, because I have lost my appetite from the chemo affect, however, it’s slowly coming back since I started this new diet. I have concluded that fruits and vegetables which are now my main foods groups regularly with rapid healing results. Incredible.
I have recently started eating a paleo diet and find myself eating ten to twelve portions of fruit and vegetables daily. Out is a major portion of the eating style
I love fruit but I find trying to lose weight I need to avoid the carbs and sugars found in fruit. How can? I lose weight while eating 5 fruits a day
Great suggestions, everyone!
Sharkcatcher, berries aren’t high in calories, neither are apples. If you’re on very low-carb diet, then you may have to stick to the low carb green vegetables for a while.