10 Ways to Eat More Fruits and Veggies

Content Provided By: Mayo Clinic Healthy Information

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Many people think that weight control means food restrictions: “You can’t eat that” and “Don’t eat too much of this.” That’s not the case with fresh vegetables and fruits, where the precept is, “Eat all you want.” Fresh vegetables and fruits are the foundation of a healthy diet and successful weight loss. However, for some people, making sure they have a few servings of vegetables and fruits in their diets every day is a struggle. Here are tips that might help change that:

• Add a banana, strawberries or another favorite fruit to your cereal or yogurt at breakfast.
• Include a small salad with one of your main meals of the day.
• When eating a full meal, work on your vegetable portions right away, rather than reserving them for the end after you’ve finished other items.
• Stir-fry vegetables with a small portion of poultry, seafood or meat.
• Use fresh fruit and fruit sauces as toppings on desserts and pancakes.
• When you’re in a hurry, have ready-to-eat frozen vegetables handy as a quick addition to a meal. Use fresh vegetables and fruits that require little preparation, such as baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, grapes and apples.
• Liven up your sandwiches with vegetables such as tomato, lettuce, onion, peppers and cucumber.
• When you have a craving for chips, have a small handful with lots of fresh salsa.
• For dessert, have baked apples or grilled pineapple.
• Experimenting with new tastes keeps you challenged. Try vegetables and fruits that you’re unfamiliar with, perhaps mango, papaya, tomatillo, jicama and star fruit, which can be obtained at most grocery stores or specialty food stores.

Limit dried fruit and fruit juice
One of the basic premises of The Mayo Clinic Plan is unlimited servings of fresh vegetables and fruits. You can basically eat as much as you want. This, however, doesn’t apply to dried fruit, such as raisins and dates, or to fruit juice, such as orange or apple juice. That’s because these items are higher in calories and unlimited servings could cause a significant increase in daily calories.

April 2005

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