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Find creative ways to get
your fruits & vegetables
As a mother of a young daughter, I know it can be challenging to get children—and sometimes your husband—to eat fruits and vegetables. But the more I read about it, the more convinced I am that fruits and vegetables are one of the keys to a healthy life.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people who eat generous amounts of fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy diet are likely to have reduced risk of chronic diseases. These diseases include stroke, Type 2 diabetes, some types of cancer, and perhaps heart disease.
While vitamins supplements can be helpful to make up for some deficiencies, emerging evidence is showing that plants contain a unique combination of nutrients and compounds that can’t be found in any one pill. The U.S. food pyramid says to get at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, more is probably better when it comes to your health.
Try these easy ideas to cook up more fruits and veggies.
For some ways to spruce up your fruit and veggie intake, try some of the following preparation ideas when cooking dinner or making a snack:
| • | Sauté fresh vegetables in a pan with garlic and olive oil. This is really good when you are in a hurry, as it only takes a few minutes. |
| • | Roast vegetables: Roasting changes the texture and taste for many vegetables, making them dryer but bringing out the sweetness that many people find appealing. Some of the best vegetables for roasting that I’ve had are asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peppers and onions. |
| • | Blend fresh, frozen, or canned fruit with low-fat milk or yogurt and ice in a blender for smoothies. |
| • | Toss berries, apples, or orange slices into salads. |
| • | Add extra vegetables to marinara sauce, soup, or stews. |
| • | Substitute sliced eggplant or portabella mushrooms for meat in lasagna. |
| • | Top low-fat ice cream, sorbets, or frozen yogurts with fresh fruit. |
| • | Make homemade veggie meat burgers by adding fresh vegetables into hamburger patties. |
These are just a few examples, but really you are only limited by your imagination. Visit FruitsandVeggiesMatter.gov to get tools and information to help you eat more fruits and vegetables each day!
