Fruits and Vegetables For Healthier Eating

Admit it, you know that you should be eating a diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables in order to be healthy. Of all the things you can do to help your overall health, eating more fruits and vegetables would probably be number one - and yet most people still fail to do this! No doubt many think of these as boring, but they don't need to be! Fruits and vegetables are very tasty, very nutritious, affordable, and easy to incorporate into your daily diet.

Fruits and vegetables are also very high in antioxidants, elements which play a vital role in good health. They are thought to help prevent cancer, heart disease, and premature aging. There are also many important trace elements that are important for health that are found in fruits and vegetables. These elements cannot be had by a supplement or vitamin pill; you can only get them from what you eat!

How to Choose the Best

Here are some tips for choosing the best fruits and vegetables for optimum health:

Choose fresh whenever possible. While frozen fruits and vegetables contain many nutrients, there are even more in fresh items. Canned and frozen vegetables and fruits are good when you're buying items that are out of season. They are not as good as fresh but are still very healthy. For canned fruits, avoid those that are packed in syrup and instead opt for those packed in water instead. Different colors of fruits and vegetables signify different nutrients. So, opt for a variety of colors with your items. Yellow and orange items typically are high in beta-carotene and dark, leafy vegetables are high in Vitamin C. Cooking vegetables also typically drains them of their nutrients. Opt for a quick steam with just a slight bit of water rather than boiling. Remember that it doesn't matter how healthy your items are if you drown them in butter or oil! Use just a bit if you must or instead, try seasoning blends.

Serving Sizes Are Important

When you hear that you're supposed to eat five to ten servings of fruits and vegetables every day, just how much is that? Many people are confused by this and often think it's more or less than it really is. Here are a few things to consider when it comes to serving sizes; a serving may mean:

- One medium whole fruit, such as one apple, orange, banana or pear.
- A large slice of watermelon, cantaloupe, or other melon.
- Two whole small fruits, such as kiwi fruit or plums.
- A cup of very small fruits such as grapes, raspberries and other berries.
- A half cup of fruit salad that consists of any variety of items.
- A half cup of canned fruit.
- A quarter cup of any dried fruit.
- A half cup of pure fruit juice of any variety.
- A half cup of any cooked, frozen, or canned vegetables.
- A side salad.

Remember too that you really can't overeat fruits and vegetables, unlike other foods. Rather than trying to limit yourself the way you would with other foods, you can try to incorporate these items into as many meals and dishes as possible. A good way to do this is to plan your meals ahead of time and shop accordingly.

Healthy Living With Fruits and Vegetables

Here are some tips for incorporating fruits and vegetables into your diet overall:

- Make sure the refrigerator is always full of healthy vegetables you can eat like celery and carrots.
- Keep a bowl of fruit out on the kitchen or dining room table so it's easily accessible.
- Have pure fruit juice every morning with breakfast.
- Vegetable soup is perfect on a cold winter's day!