Eat a variety of veggies for a healthier you
The
new food guidelines issued by the United States government recommend that all
Americans eat between five and nine servings of fruits and vegetables each and
every day. When you first hear that
number, it may seem like a lot, but it is actually much easier than you think
to fit that many servings of fruits and vegetables into your daily diet.
For one thing, the shelves of the grocery
stores are fairly bursting with fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, vegetables and fruits are some
of the least expensive, most nutrient rich, foods in the supermarket. With all these fruits and vegetables to
choose from, it is very easy to make these nutritious, delicious foods part of
your daily meals and snacks.
When
you take into account how much a serving really is, it is actually quite easy
to get five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables per day. For instance, the recommended daily amount
actually equates to a quite reasonable two cups of fruit and two and a half
cups of vegetables every day.
When you
consider how many fruits and vegetables are available, and how low the prices
usually are, it is easy to see how easy to reach this daily goal really is.
One
great way to get the nutrients you need from fruits and vegetables every day is
to take full advantage of the variety of these foods available. Eating the same thing every day quickly
becomes boring, so why not pick a variety of fruits and vegetables, in every
color of the rainbow and in every conceivable shape, size and texture, to give
yourself a varied diet every day.
When
shopping for fruits and vegetables, it is important to choose a variety of
different colors. This is for more than
purely artistic reasons. Different color
fruits and vegetables have different types of nutrients, and choosing a variety
of colors will help ensure you get all the vitamins and minerals you need each
and every day.
Finding
new recipes is another great way to ensure you get those five to nine servings
of fruits and vegetables every day.
Everyone likes to try out new recipes, and these new recipes may just
provide the impetus you need to eat all those fruits and veggies.
New
recipes can also provide you the important opportunity to try out some fruits
and vegetables you have never tried before.
For instance, everyone has eaten oranges, but have you tried kiwi fruit
or mangoes? How about spinach or
kale? Trying new things is a great way
to find new favorites while getting the best nutrition available.
Many
people mistakenly think that they do not need to eat five to nine servings of
fruits and vegetables every day if they just take a vitamin supplement. Actually, nothing could be further from the
truth. That is because fruits and
vegetables contain far more than the micronutrients identified by science and
synthesized in vitamin pills.
While
these micronutrients, such as vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin E are important
to good health, so too are the hundreds of other elements that are contained in
healthy foods like fruits and vegetables.
These elements are not available in any pill, they must be ingested
through a healthy, balanced diet that contains plenty of fruits and vegetables.
In
addition, fruits and vegetables are much less costly than vitamin pills. Fruits and vegetables are very inexpensive,
especially when purchased in season and grown locally. In the long run, getting the nutrition you
need from the food you eat is much less expensive, and much better for you, than
popping those vitamin pills every day.
So
don’t forget to get your five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables every
day. It may seem like a lot, but you
can meet this quite reasonable goal simply by including fruits and vegetables
as snacks, as garnishes, as side dishes and as meals.