It’s crucial that we eat plenty of different fruits and vegetables every day. Generally speaking, diets rich in fruits and vegetables may help reduce the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. In addition, fruits and vegetables provide essential vitamins and minerals, fiber, and other substances which are vital for exceptional health. Most fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories, as well as filling.
You’ve probably heard about the 5 A Day for Better Health program. If you haven’t, It provides easy ways to add more fruits and vegetables into your daily eating patterns. It’s critical that we eat a wide range of colorful orange/yellow, red, green, white, and blue/purple vegetables and fruit every day.
By eating vegetables and fruit from each color group, you will benefit from the essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber that each color group has to offer alone and in combination.
In addition, there is a variety of different yet simple ways to begin incorporating vegetables and fruit into your familiar and favorite meals.
As an example, you can start your day with 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice, slice bananas or strawberries on top of your cereal, or have a salad with lunch and an apple for an afternoon snack. Furthermore, try to include a vegetable with dinner and you already have about 5 cups of fruits and vegetables. You may even try adding a piece of fruit for a snack or an extra vegetable at dinner.
Our Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar experts suggest that you don’t be afraid to try something new to increase your vegetable and fruit intake. There are so many selection available when choosing fruits and vegetables. Kiwifruit, asparagus, and mango may become your new favorite. Keep things fresh and interesting by combining fruits and vegetables of different flavors and colors, like red grapes with pineapple chunks, or cucumbers and red peppers.
Get in the habit of keeping fruits and vegetables visible and easily accessible – you’ll tend to eat them more. Store cut and cleaned produce at eye-level in the refrigerator, or keep a big colorful bowl of fruit on the table.
