Do you feel like you should be eating more fruits and veggies?
Well, chances are, you probably should. According to the CDC, only 12 percent of Americans eat the recommended serving of fruits each day. Vegetables are even worse, with less than only 9 percent getting the daily recommended amount.
While the recommended serving portions aren’t insane (2 for fruit and 3 for vegetable), it’s clear that many people struggle with this.
If you’re someone who needs to boost your fruit and veggie intake, read on to learn the 5 easiest ways to do it.
1. Make Cooking Easy
Many people skip the veggies at meal time because of how long they can take to prepare.
If you’re super hungry or in a rush, you probably don’t want to take the time to wash and chop your veggies.
To avoid this issue, wash and chop all of your veggies immediately after buying them. This way, when it’s meal prep time, all you have to do is toss your veggies into whatever you’re cooking.
Not only will this create a healthier meal for you with no effort, you also will likely use your perishable items faster, therefore eliminating waste.
2. Drink it Up
When we said you should get your recommended serving of fruit and vegetables per day, we never said anything about eating them.
If chewing through an entire peach or chomping on a spinach salad feels like a lot of effort to you, consider investing in a juicer so you can drink your fruits and veggies.
Don’t think you just need to make a juice or smoothie made of pure fruits and vegetables. You can take your smoothie to the next level by adding things like mint, nut butter, almonds, or chia seeds.
There are a lot of juicers out there, so check out this article to find the best juicer for your needs.
3. Think Veggies and Fruits First, Then Protein
Oftentimes, when cooking a meal, we think of proteins and grains first, and fruits and veggies are usually an afterthought.
In order to eat more fruits and vegetables, a simple thing to do is to reverse your way of thinking. Instead of thinking what meal you can build around a piece of steak, for example, think of what meal you can build around a bowl of broccoli.
Try to fill half of your plate with veggies, and then after think about what proteins and grains you can make to go along with it.
4. Grab Some Road Snacks
As you’re bolting out of your house in the morning, there are usually a couple of things you always remind yourself to grab – car keys, phone, wallet, etc.
In order to easily incorporate more fruit and veggies into your diet, take the show on the road by preparing a snack bag the night before. Cucumber slices, blueberries, carrots, or grapes are all easy snacks you can pack that you can munch on throughout the day.
5. Change Your Viewpoint
Many people view vegetables as bland and tasteless, however, if you know how to incorporate them correctly, this is far from the case.
For example, if you made a batch of soup, toss some fresh veggies in before consuming the bowl. Chop up bananas or strawberries on top of your cereal. Saute some veggies and throw them into your egg or pasta dishes… the list goes on!
As you can see, incorporating more fruits and veggies into your diet is pretty simple with these 5 helpful tips!
