Only 10 percent of adults manage to eat the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables each day, which is unfortunate because they’re packed with nutrients and should play a major role in your diet. Getting enough fruits and vegetables helps you live a longer, healthier life. If you’re coming up short, there’s no better time than the present to give your diet an overhaul. Before you can do that, you need to know just how much to aim for and how to get those bits of nourishing goodness into your daily eating routine.
Consequences of Low Fruit and Vegetable Intake
There’s no doubt about it, a plant-based diet is the cornerstone of healthy eating. To maintain optimal health, plant foods should serve as the foundation of your diet. Along with other plant foods, fruits and vegetables contain the vitamins, minerals and other substances your body needs to function properly.
Low fruit and vegetable intake increases the risk of heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure and even cancer. That’s why the Department of Health and Human Services publishes guidelines every five years to help you make healthy food choices.
Aim to Eat This Many Vegetables
A healthy eating pattern includes vegetables from all subgroups, including leafy greens, beans, peas and starches. When shopping, think in color. Load up your cart with colorful vegetables across the entire spectrum. Avoid cutting out an entire subgroup of vegetables unless you have a confirmed allergy or food sensitivity.
It’s recommended that you get at least 2 to 3 cups of vegetables daily. In terms of leafy greens, 2 cups are considered 1 cup; otherwise, 1 cup of raw of cooked veggies counts toward the vegetable group.
Shoot for This Many Fruits
It’s time to abandon fad diets that recommend cutting out fruit for weight loss. Even if you have diabetes, fruit plays an important role in your health. The fiber and nutrients in fruit help keep you healthy. All adults should aim for at least 2 cups of fruit daily. It’s best to skip fruit juice since it’s void of fiber and instead focus on fresh and frozen whole fruit. If you simply must have fruit juice, stick to 100 percent fruit juice with no added sugar. One cup of 100 percent fruit juice counts as 1 cup of fruit toward your daily recommendation.
Become a Fruit and Vegetable Rockstar
Busy schedules and eating on the run might make you think that you can’t get the recommended fruit and vegetable intake in each day. While it does take some planning, there’s no reason you can’t meet the minimum servings necessary for good health. Fruit and vegetables are portable, delicious fresh or cooked and easy to add to your diet. Pick up sandwich bags or food containers, and fill them with your favorite fruit and veggies. Work them into your meals, and grab them to snack on during the day when you’re on the go. Before you know it, noshing on fruits and veggies will become second nature.