We have all been hearing for our entire lives that we should be eating five servings of fruits and vegetables every day, but this isn't always easy, is it? Our bodies are naturally craving fruits and vegetables more than just about anything else because we are never getting enough of the nutrients that we need. We often believe that two to three servings a day of these vital nutrients is enough, but it really isn't and its time we admitted it. According to the USDA and the CDC, we need to be eating at least, if not more, five servings of vegetables and fruits every single day. What we are missing out on could literally be the difference between surviving just barely and really thriving. Here are some virtually effortless ways to improve how many vegetables and fruits that we eat throughout the day.

• Add fruit into breakfast foods, such as by adding fruit into you cereal, onto the top of your waffles or pancakes or mixed in with your oatmeal during breakfast time.
• You can snack on raw vegetables and fruits rather than opting for pretzels or chips. Keep things like sugar snap peas, carrot sticks and raisins on hand in your backpack, in your car or in your office desk so that you always have them available.
• Choose chunky types of salsa instead of snack dips that are thick and creamy.
• Drink 100% pure fruit juice rather than tea, soda or coffee and other addictive substances.
• If you are going out for lunch, try visiting the grocery store's salad bar rather than buying an expensive meal from a fast food place. Choose dark leafy greens and vegetables rather than fixating on the bacon, cheese, eggs and other extras.
• Add frozen vegetables to your pasta dishes to get in an additional serving of these healthy veggies.
• You should keep fruits and vegetables close by all the time so you'll opt for them in place of chips and other bad for you foods. Grapes, bananas, oranges and apples look great in a bowl and make it easier to get your fruits in for the day.
• If you are looking for a quick snack, throw the potato chips away and opt instead of dried fruits and raisins. They are just as portable as your potato chips would be, sweet and delicious to boot, and they're much healthier for you in the long run. No, potato chips don't count as being dried vegetables, either.
• When you are cooking vegetables for your meals, make between 2 and 3 times more than normal and immediately store the extras for tomorrow in order to save yourself cooking time tomorrow or the next day.
• Add your very own vegetables and beans to canned soups and quick serve soups to stretch out the soup and add a lot of valuable nutrition to it.

Photo Credits: glue&glitter

Originally posted 2009-08-26 03:36:55. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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addictive substances, breakfast foods, breakfast time, carrot sticks, cheese eggs, dark leafy greens, eating five servings, food place, fruit juice, fruits and vegetables, oatmeal, office desk, pasta dishes, pretzels, raw vegetables, salad bar, sugar snap peas, vegetables and fruits, vital nutrients, waffles