Easy Ways to up Your Fruit and Veggie Intake

We all know that we should eat more fruits and vegetables, but managing the 8 servings per day (for women) or even 10 (for men) can seem like an impossible task. Here are some easy ways to up your intake:

1) Grab and go

When buying your groceries, choose vegetables that you can eat straight from the package such as sugar snap peas, cherry tomatoes or ready chopped broccoli and cauliflower. That way, you’ll always have healthy snacks in the fridge ready to go.

2) Make DIY snack packs

Put ready chopped vegetables in to small packs and throw them in your purse to take to work, or in your kid’s lunchbox. That way, you’ll have something healthy to reach for when you get the munchies.

3) Make a smoothie

A fresh fruit smoothie in the morning is a great way to start the day. Throw some yoghurt, milk or soy milk, ice and chopped fruits (frozen fruits and berries work great too) in to a blender and go! You can also throw in a handful of greens, such as spinach, and you’ll hardly be able to notice them.

4) Buy frozen veg

Although fresh is always best, for convenience’s sake keep bags of frozen vegetables on hand so that you always have some for dinner. For a quick and healthy snack, microwave a bowl of vegetables then season with some soy sauce.

5) Once a week, make a salad your entrée

Instead of putting veggies on the side of your meal, once a week have a big healthful salad made up of a variety of vegetables. Check out salad recipes for heartier versions, such as Niçoise salad (made with tuna and olives) that won’t leave you hungry.

 6) Puree vegetables in to cooking sauces

Add cooked and pureed carrot, squash or sweet potato to pasta sauces or chili for an added boost of vegetable goodness.

7) Try some exotic new vegetables

These days, there are dozens of exotic fruits and vegetables in grocery stores. Pick up a bunch of red bananas, some fennel, Jerusalem artichokes or baby corn and start experimenting.

8) Add fruit to your breakfast

You can throw fresh or frozen berries in to your cereal bowl, slice up some peaches or apricots and cook them in to hot cereal or slice up a banana to go on your toast.

This post is a repeat, but look forward to more original content to come in the future.