Eat a Variety of Fruits & Veggies for a Healthier You

Recommendations issued by the United States government suggest that all Americans eat between 1.5 to 2 cups of fruits and 2 to 3 cups of 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 - and have some variety!

The shelves of grocery stores are fairly bursting with fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, vegetables and fruits are some of the 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.

Meeting the recommendations

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. If you’re eating a well balanced diet, then you should have no problems meeting the recommended daily amounts.

One great way to get the nutrients you need from fruits and vegetables is to take full advantage of the variety of these foods available. Eating the same thing every single day quickly becomes boring, so why not pick a variety of fruits and vegetables? You can choose some in every color of the rainbow and in every conceivable shape, size and texture, to give yourself a varied diet every day.

Knowing what foods to buy

When shopping for fruits and vegetables, it’s important to choose a variety of different colors. This is for more than purely artistic reasons! Different colored 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. Most people like to try out new recipes and these new recipes may just provide the motivation 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.

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, garnishes, side dishes, and as meals.