We all know we should be eating our
fruits and vegetables. You’ve probably heard recommendations for meeting a
5-a-day quota, or seen the USDA’s recommendation to fill half your plate
with fruit and veggies during each meal. You probably already know that eating
fruits and vegetables provides a number of important health benefits, like reducing the risk of
chronic diseases and heart disease and helping you manage your weight. Eating a
diet filled with more veggies and fruits might also protect against certain
cancers and reduce the risk of type 2
diabetes. With all of those benefits, you’d think the entire human
population would be chowing down on bok choy and snacking on spinach.But not
everyone has a built-in love for the produce department. If you struggle,as I
do, to fit in your fruits and vegetables, read on for some tips and tricks to make
eating a healthier diet easier than ever!
Snack
smart. Instead of hitting the vending machine for an afternoon
pick-me-up, start snacking on fruits and vegetables. Cut veggies and hummus or
sliced fruit with yogurt dip will satisfy you more than a candy bar
will.
Eat a fruit or vegetable with every
meal. If half a plate of fruits and vegetables seems like an
overwhelming goal for you right now, start by simply adding one fruit or veggie
to each meal. You can eat them as a side -- think a cup of green beans with dinner
or a banana with breakfast -- or simply start adding them to foods you already
eat. Fruit is a cinch to add to oatmeal, yogurt and cereal in the morning. Add
onions and peppers to meat dishes or omelets or pile a few of your favorite
vegetables onto your sandwich. Once you start working them in, you’ll welcome the
new additions!
Drink up. While
you should limit the number of calories
you get from beverages, if you have trouble fitting fruits and vegetables into
your busy life,work them into a drink that you can take on the go. Try out smoothie recipes until you find a few you love and work them
into your rotation as a breakfast or afternoon snack option. You can easily get several fruit and vegetable servings in a yummy
beverage. If you simply want juice, look for 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice
for it to count as a serving, but limit yourself to no more than one serving of
fruit or vegetable juice per day, as the calories are concentrated and juice
removes some of the other benefits of produce (such as fiber).
Slurp some
soup! Soups and stews can be a nutritious, filling way to get lots of
vegetables into a meal. Soup is an easy way to increase the variety of veggies
you eat as it can make some of your least favorite options more palatable. If you
don’t make your own, make sure you know the healthy soup options at the grocery
store.
Be ready at all
times. Have cut fruits and vegetables in the fridge ready for munching
at all times. Whether you buy the pre-cut options in the produce department or
take the time to cut and bag it yourself, you’re more likely to eat it if it’s
readily and easily available. Have hummus, low-fat ranch or fruit dip on
hand, too, if it’ll encourage you to eat up.
Keep them in sight, in
mind. Just like you keep sweets out of sight to discourage incessant
snacking, keeping fruits and
veggies in sight will help you
think of them as an option for eating. Stock a fruit bowl at work each week and
keep a bowl on the kitchen counter at home so you’ll be more likely to eat it
when you’re hungry.
My husband and I love this delicious
soup from the Skinny Kitchen website. It makes a large batch (12 cups), but it
freezes well. You can easily cut the recipe in half too. Try using chicken instead
of turkey--butternut squash instead of the sweet potatoes.
TURKEY BARLEY SOUP WITH SWEET POTATOES
10 c. reduced-sodium chicken
broth
1 c. dried
pearl barley (I use quick)
2 cloves
fresh garlic,minced
2-1/2 c.sweet
potatoes (or butternut squash), peeled and chopped
1/2 tsp. dried
thyme
1/2 tsp. dried
sage
Fresh ground
pepper, to taste
1 lb. cooked
turkey breasts or chicken,cubed
In a large
pot,add the chicken broth and barley.Bring to a boil,reduce heat, cover and
simmer for 15 minutes.In the meantime,in a
nonstick pan add the olive oil, garlic, carrots, celery and onions; sauté until
soft,about 5 minutes. Add the sautéed vegetables to the broth. Cook
uncovered for 30 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes, thyme, sage and fresh ground
pepper. Continue to cook uncovered for 25 minutes. Add the cooked turkey and stir
with a rubber spatula so the squash doesn’t get mushy. Cook for 5 minutes
more.Yield: 12 cups. 1 cup= 142 calories; 1 gr.fat, 13 gr.protein, 22 gr.carbs, 5
gr.fiber
STUFFED
PEPPERONI PIZZA MELT
1 (whole wheat) Deli Sandwich Thin
1 tsp. Smart Balance Light or reduced-fat
butter
1-1/2 Tb. pizza or marinara sauce
7 slices Hormel’s 70% less fat turkey
pepperoni
1 slice light provolone cheese or light
mozzarella
Preheat Panini maker, George Foreman grill or
stove-top skillet. Spread the outside of the sandwich thin, both top and
bottom, with 1/2 teaspoon of butter on each. Split open and spread the inside of
the bottom slice with pizza sauce. On top of sauce, place pepperoni slices and top
with 1 slice of cheese. Place remaining top piece of sandwich thin,butter side
out. Place in preheated grill or skillet; cook for 4 to 5 minutes until melted and
golden brown. Remove with a spatula as the cheese oozes out a bit while cooking.
De-Lish! Yield: 1 serving= 215 calories, 8 gr.fat, 14 gr.protein, 26 gr.carbs, 6
gr.fiber
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