Fruits and Vegetables

You can include more fruits and vegetables in your diet in countless ways. Try some of these practical tips that don’t require a lot of changes to the way your family eats: • Pack portable, easy-to-eat fruits and veggies in your work or school bag, and avoid vending machine temptations. • Add frozen peas or broccoli to rice when it’s almost done cooking. • Add extra veggies to soups and stews. • Try a meatless meal once a week. Think vegetable lasagna, Portobello mushroom “burgers” or grilled veggie kabobs. • Fill out a sandwich with fruits and veggies. Try sliced or shredded vegetables like beets, carrots, celery, cucumbers, onions, peppers, radishes, tomatoes and zucchini and/or sliced fruits like apple, avocado and pear. • Keep frozen and canned fruits and vegetables on hand for when you need to throw together a meal in a hurry. Compare food labels and choose items without sauces and too much sodium. • Work fruits and vegetables into your family’s favorite dishes. • Make adding fruits and veggies to meals a snap by cutting them up and keeping them in the fridge. They’ll also be handy for snacking! • When eating out, ask if you can substitute a fruit cup or side salad for fries and other less-healthy sides. • Top yogurt, oatmeal and cereal with berries or sliced fruit. • Make fruit popsicles. Freeze 100 percent juice in an ice tray or popsicle mold. • Add spinach, peppers or mushrooms into scrambled eggs and omelets. • For snack time, keep fresh fruit and pre-chopped or no-chop veggies (such as baby carrots, cherry tomatoes and sugar snap peas) on hand, as well as single-serve containers of raisins or applesauce. Your kids are more likely to grab fruits and veggies over other items if they’re readily available. • Enjoy fruit for dessert most days and limit traditional desserts to special occasions. • Make it fun for kids to try new fruits and veggies. Let them pick out a new fruit or vegetable in the grocery store each week, and figure out together how to cook or prepare it. You might end up expanding your palate as well! • Eat the rainbow: A fun and tasty way to make sure your family is eating a good variety of fruits and vegetables is to eat as many different colors as you can each day. • Keep a bowl of whole fruit handy on the desk, table or countertop.