15 Ways to Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

My mom had emailed me this article from the Johns Hopkins Health Alerts.  Although I think a lot of these are common sense, I think it is helpful to be reminded – sometimes the easy stuff is the hardest to remember.  In this year of refocusing, I thought I would share:

Study after study reports that when your diet is high in fruits and vegetables — which are the richest natural sources of vitamins, minerals, and fiber — you are doing the best you can to protect your heart and help prevent many diseases, including cancer. Yet, approximately 90% of Americans fail to meet the government’s recommendations for fruit and vegetable consumption.

• Heart Health Tip 1. Stock up on fresh fruits and keep them accessible on your countertop or visible in your refrigerator.
• Heart Health Tip 2. Add fresh or dried fruit to your breakfast cereal.
• Heart Health Tip 3. Thaw frozen berries and add them to plain or vanilla yogurt for a snack or dessert.
• Heart Health Tip 4. Have a six-ounce glass of 100% fruit juice with your breakfast.
• Heart Health Tip 5. As thirst-quencher or a mealtime beverage, make a "spritzer" by adding 100% fruit juice to sparking water or seltzer.

I love a good POM spritzer!

• Heart Health Tip 6. Enjoy a fruit smoothie made by blending low-fat milk or yogurt with fresh or frozen fruits.
• Heart Health Tip 7. Bring dried fruit (raisins, apricots, cranberries, apple slices) to work for mid-morning or mid-afternoon snacks.

• Heart Health Tip 8. Add tomatoes, onions, peppers, and/or mushrooms to an egg-white omelet for a hearty breakfast or brunch.
• Heart Health Tip 9. Chill small cans of vegetable juice to snack on at work.
• Heart Health Tip 10. When dining out, start your meal with a salad.
• Heart Health Tip 11. When making or ordering a wrap or sandwich, include lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, and other raw vegetables.
• Heart Health Tip 12. Add raisins, grapes, or apple slices to your salads.
• Heart Health Tip 13. Make a big pot of vegetable soup on the weekend and freeze it in single-portion containers to reheat for a quick weekday lunch or supper.
• Heart Health Tip 14. Make your own pizza (you can buy ready-to- use dough at a pizzeria or supermarket) and top it with mushrooms, onions, broccoli, spinach, or eggplant.
• Heart Health Tip 15. Double the portion of vegetables you already eat at lunch and dinner.

What do you think of these tips?  Do you eat enough fruits and vegetables?