Listen to Mom: Eat your Fruits and Vegetables

If only eating our fruits and vegetables was as easy as telling jokes about them! Meriden adults eat about 2 servings of fruits and vegetables (that’s combined) a day, well below the 5 to 7 servings of each per day recommended by the USDA. The advice of eating lots fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy diet really hasn’t changed since the first dietary guidelines were released more than 50 years ago. But, for some reason, this simple advice is often the hardest to follow.

We all know the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables:

• You’ll lower your blood pressure. One study found that people with high blood pressure who eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products reduced their systolic blood pressure by 11 points and their diastolic blood pressure by 6 points – as much as medications can achieve.

• You’ll build a leaner body. Calcium (from kale, broccoli, and spinach), potassium (from Swiss chard, lima beans, yams and avocado), and magnesium (from potatoes, bananas, and spinach) are just three of the essential muscle-building nutrients you can get from vegetables. And the fiber that’s packed into most produce will help you feel fuller, longer – which will keep your hand out of the cookie jar later on.

• You’ll have fewer sick days. The essential antioxidant vitamins – E (from broccoli and spinach), C (from broccoli, bell peppers, papaya, and kale), and A (from carrots, cantaloupe, and apricots) – will protect you from everything from major illnesses such as heart disease and prevent wrinkles.

One serving of fruit is equal to a medium size banana or 8 large strawberries. One serving of vegetables is 12 baby carrots or 1 large sweet potato. How easy is it to eat 5-7 servings a day? Have a banana in your cereal and a glass of OJ with breakfast. At lunch, pair up your sandwich with a side salad and a piece of fruit. When that 2 p.m. slump hits snack on some raisins or other dried fruit. At dinner, have a cup of vegetable soup and a side of steamed vegetables with your meat. Painless!

According to www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org, an even easier way to remember to eat your fruit and veggies is to fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables at every meal. This doesn’t require counting servings. Visit this website for more tips like how to pick and store in-season fruits and vegetables.

How do you increase your daily consumption of fruits and vegetables? Have any tips to share? Leave them in the comments section of this article. Oh, and what is green and goes to a summer camp? A brussels’ scout!

Writer’s note: the benefits listed in this article were taken from the book Eat This, Not That by David Zinczenko. Copies of this book are available at the Meriden Public Library.

Source: http://meriden.patch.com/articles/listen-to-mom-eat-your-fruit-and-vegetables