How to Add More Fruits and Vegetables to Your Diet

Everyday, new studies are published emphasizing the importance of eating lots of fruit and vegetables for maintaining good health, managing weight, and feeling and looking more youthful, longer. Most of us are now convinced that we need to make sure that we are eating enough every day. But how much is enough and how can we make sure that we eat that amount?

The United States Department of Agriculture food guide, called MyPyramid Plan, recommends eating two to three cups of vegetables and one and a half to two cups of fruit every day, depending on your age group, gender, height and weight. The exact recommendations can be found at their website, www.mypyramid.gov. While it is clear that we need to eat lots of fruit and vegetables, most of us probably are not eating as much as recommended in the food guide. Here are some tips for adding more fruits and vegetables to your daily diet.

1. Make salad the centerpiece of your lunch with lots of leafy greens. Buy a variety such as Boston Bibb or Romain lettuce and baby spinach leaves for a tasty combination of flavors. Sometimes, grocery stores sell leafy greens premixed. Bring some home, wash and drain well, then store in a container in the refrigerator so that they are easy to use anytime.

2. Add cabbage to your salad greens. Cabbage is filling, flavorful, and nutritious and comes in many varieties including radicchio, a delicious and exceptionally colorful type. After buying cabbage, cut up or shred and keep in the refrigerator, adding to dishes as desired. Cabbage can keep fresh for a week or more.

3. Add fresh or canned fruit to your salad for flavor and extra fiber. If using canned fruit, make sure it is packed in fruit concentrate rather than syrup to minimize calories.

4. Make a salad using an assortment of vegetables such as chickpeas, olives, cooked corn, green beans, and pimentos and adding a vinaigrette dressing. Use your imagination or consult a cookbook for endless combinations.

5. For breakfast, add berries like strawberries, blueberries and raspberries to a bowl of cottage cheese or yogurt with granola. Buy frozen berries and defrost only as needed.