Tricks to Get Your Five a Day!
By Sara Butler
The USDA recommends adults get five servings of fruits and vegetables per day for good health. Be honest -- how many servings do you really eat in a day? Eating a sufficient amount of fruits and vegetables is important to your health. It reduces your risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes, helping you to maintain a healthy weight along the way. With all those benefits, you’d think people would go above and beyond their daily intake needs, but the reality is they don’t. If you struggle to get your five servings per day, there are a few tricks you can use to help.
Include a Vegetable or Fruit in Every Meal
Probably one of the easiest things you can do is make sure you include fruits and vegetables at each and every meal. You might feel overwhelmed if you try to make half of your plate fruits and veggies, so start small by adding just one vegetable or fruit to each meal. This can mean something as simple as a banana with your morning oatmeal or green beans as a side for dinner. Add them to the foods you already eat and it’ll be easy to seamlessly work them in.
Be a Smart Snacker
Instead of cruising down to the breakroom for a pastry or hitting the vending machine, try to bring some fruits and vegetables to snack on with you to work. You can cut some vegetables up to take with you and include some hummus as a dip or slice some fruit and add some nut butter to it. It’ll satisfy you more than a candy bar ever could!
Drink!
Make sure you limit the number of calories you’re getting through drinks, but if you’re finding it difficult to work in more fruit and vegetables by munching them, then create a smoothie! You can experiment with a few different smoothie recipes until you find one you like. It makes a great breakfast or snack. Just be wary of drinking straight fruit juice and limit yourself to just one serving. They often have added sugar and no fiber, which makes them wreak havoc on your blood sugar.
Try Soup
Soup is a great way to get a lot of vegetables in your day without a lot of calories. Canned soup tends to have a lot of sodium, but you can make your own soups at home and find a recipe that you love.
Make an effort to get your five servings of fruits and vegetables per day in and you'll be on the road to good health!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Durham, N.C.