Fit in Fruits and Vegetables

By Kathleen Hall
Reviewed by QualityHealth's Medical Advisory Board

 

Fruits and vegetables are full of nutrients that keep you healthy and help prevent cancer. Furthermore, since obesity is a significant risk factor for cancer, a diet that emphasizes plant-based foods helps you maintain a healthy weight.

Here are a few tips for adding healthy fruits and vegetables to your diet:

Learn what a serving looks like. You might be surprised that it doesn't take a Popeye-size can of spinach at every meal to get your daily fill. One serving is generally about the equivalent of a half cup.
Be creative. There are countless ways to incorporate fruits and vegetables into recipes.

• Add them to stews, soups, pasta dishes, and omelets. You can include them in bite-size chunks or shred them so they are virtually indistinguishable in sauces or baked goods, for example. Some veggies, like squash, make a good thickening agent in other recipes.
• Add veggies as toppings to your pizza or baked potato.
• Add greens and other veggies to your sandwiches.
• Add a variety of vegetables to your basic green salad.
• Use leftovers to make other dishes. For example, turn tomatoes into salsa and fruit into a smoothie.
• Add fresh fruit to your breakfast cereal or pancakes.

Make it fun. Your kids might turn their nose up at fresh celery. But when you add peanut butter and raisins to make kid-friendly ants on a log, you'll likely get a more positive response. Add a tasty dip with raw vegetables, or use them to create faces or pictures on other foods.