How to Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

Eating a Diet Rich in Fruits and Vegetables

Here's Why:
Produce has certainly earned its healthful reputation. It's rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals and fiber, while being low in calories and fat. All of these factors contribute to many health benefits, such as:

• Lower blood cholesterol levels
• Decreased risk of atherosclerosis and heart disease
• Decreased risk of certain types of cancer
• Lower blood pressure
• Lower risk of overweight and obesity.

Here's How:
A total of five fruits and vegetables each day may sound like a lot, but a serving is probably smaller than you think.

One serving of fruit equals:

• 1 medium piece of fruit, such as an apple, banana, orange, pear or peach
• 1/2 grapefruit
• 1/2 cup chopped, cooked, or canned fruit, including berries and grapes
• 1/4 cup dried fruit
• 3/4 cup 100% fruit juice

One serving of vegetable equals:

• 1 cup raw, leafy vegetables, such as spinach, romaine lettuce and broccoli
• 1/2 cup of other vegetables, cooked or chopped raw
• 3/4 cup 100% vegetable juice

Within your five daily servings, try for one rich in Vitamin A or beta-carotene and one rich in Vitamin C.

Produce rich in Vitamin A and beta-carotene (which is converted to Vitamin A in the body) include:

• Pumpkin
• Sweet potatoes
• Carrots
• Mangoes
• Spinach
• Cantaloupe
• Kale
• Apricots
• Tomato juice
• Nectarines
• Papayas
• Peaches.

Produce rich in Vitamin C include:

• Bell pepper
• Papayas
• Oranges and orange juice
• Broccoli
• Strawberries
• Grapefruit
• Cantaloupe
• Tomatoes and tomato juice
• Potatoes
• Cabbage
• Spinach
• Collard greens.

To reach five a day, eat some of the following foods at each meal,

For breakfast:

• Fresh or dried fruit mixed with cereal or oatmeal
• Bagel or English muffin topped with onion and tomato or cucumber and cream cheese
• Glass of tomato juice with a spear of celery.

For lunch and snacks:

• Bake a sweet potato (microwave on high for 5-8 minutes) and top with black beans
• Stir fresh fruit into yogurt
• Pop open a can of mandarin oranges
• Dip carrot, celery, red pepper, and zucchini sticks into hummus, yogurt, or low-fat dip.

For dinner:

• Roast vegetables, onion, squash, peppers and eggplant and spread on a pizza crust with tomato sauce and cheese
• Top baked potatoes with steamed broccoli, beans and salsa
• Add dried fruit to rice and stuffing
• Grate carrots and zucchini into pasta sauce.

For dessert:

• Top frozen yogurt with sautéed apples, fresh peaches or canned pineapple
• Choose a fruity dessert, such as a cobbler, over a heavier treat, such as cheesecake.

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RESOURCES:

American Dietetic Association
http://www.eatright.org

CANADIAN RESOURCES:

Canadian Council on Food and Nutrition
www.ccfn.ca

Dietitians of Canada
http://www.dietitians.ca/

REFERENCES:

American Heart Association website. Available at: http://www.americanheart.org .

US Department of Agriculture website. Available at: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome .

Jiang R, Jacobs DR Jr, Mayer-Davis E, et al. Nut and seed consumption and inflammatory markers in the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis. Am J Epidemiol. Feb 1, 2006;163(3):222-31.

Kuriyama S, Shimazu T, Ohmori K, et al. Green tea consumption and mortality due to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all causes in Japan: the Ohsaki study. JAMA . Sep 13, 2006;296(10):1255-65.

Vlachopoulos C, Aznaouridis K, Alexopoulos N, Economou E, Andreadou I, Stefanadis C. Effect of dark chocolate on arterial function in healthy individuals. Am J Hypertens . Jun 2005;18(6):785-91.

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This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.

Copyright © 2009 EBSCO Publishing All rights reserved.

The Importance of Multivitamins

When you review your diet of the past week, ask yourself, “Did I eat the right amount of fruits and vegetables every day?” (Five servings for children, seven servings for women and nine servings for men.) If you can say “yes” – congratulations! If you are like most people you did not reach that goal. And, if you are like most of us, you did not eat all of your fruits and vegetables from an organic source; so, the fruits and vegetables may have been lacking in nutrition. This is why I suggest TriVita NutraFruits. It's the quick and easy way to help you reach your goals.

Staying on top of our nutrient reserve is important. Our bodies make millions of new cells every day: heart cells, brain cells, bone and blood cells. Every time a cell dies it should be replaced. If you do not have the right amount of nutrients to construct a new cell you will either make an incomplete cell or none at all. The outcome is bad in either case, so we really need to keep all nutrients on board at all times. This is why we suggest a multiple vitamin and mineral supplement.

Supplements
The word supplement means in addition to something – to make up for a deficiency. Vitamin and mineral supplements should be taken in addition to a healthy diet. They make up for the deficiency we face due to the poor nutrient density in our foods. They also help out when our diet is less than perfect.

However, supplements won’t make up for bad dietary choices. We simply must commit ourselves to eating healthier foods, especially fruits and vegetables. Still, most of us realize that we don’t always attend to our diet perfectly. We get busy and don’t always think ahead. After all, we eat to live; we don’t live to eat!

Balance
A multiple vitamin and mineral supplement should reflect the nutrient levels of a normal, healthy diet. In other words, if a nutrient normally appears in the diet at a particular level, this level should be reflected in the vitamin. Vitamins C and B-12 are notable exceptions because our ability to absorb them decreases with age. Even more important than the level of the nutrients is the balance of nutrients. The correct proportion of nutrients needs to be maintained. Otherwise, the supplement will create a greater imbalance than it was meant to solve.

A good example of this is the Norwegian Vitamin Trial for heart health (NORVIT). This trial involved a vitamin cocktail that had the right ingredients. But it was so horribly out of balance that it resulted in the deaths of some of the participants by creating severe nutrient imbalances.

How can you tell if your multivitamin supplement is imbalanced? One way is to notice your urine after you take the supplement. If it turns bright yellow or orange after taking a vitamin you can suspect that this supplement is imbalanced. Now, to be fair, the person taking the vitamin may be imbalanced instead. This happens if someone has eaten an imbalanced diet for some time. Still, it is more often the supplement that is imbalanced, not the person.

Conclusion
So, was that discussion about supplements valuable to you? I hope so. Remember, there are a lot of voices speaking to you about everything from which toothpaste to use to which car to buy. You simply must find a voice you can trust.

Take Control of Your Health

• Eat the right amount of fruits/vegetables daily with NutraFruits
  • Children: 5 servings
  • Women: 7 servings
  • Men: 9 servings
• Focus on organic produce whenever possible
• Eat high quality protein daily (34 to 71 grams)
• Eat Omega-3 fats every day (flax, walnuts and some fish)
• Take a balanced multiple vitamin/mineral supplement
  • VitaDaily AM/PM (what I take!)
• Take an EFA supplement like OmegaPrime
• Take Vitamin B-12 every morning
• Take Vitamin C every morning and at bedtime

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.