3 Steps to Help You Eat 5 Servings of Fruits and Veggies a Day

It is back-to-school time or back to work time. This time of year usual means an adjustment to new school schedules, holidays, tailgating, and can be filled with more extracurricular activities for families with children. In any of these cases, eating healthy during this busy season means incorporating healthy options at school, work, or parties. This takes some planning but can pays off in health benefits. Here are some tips for reaching your "5-a-Day" Goal of eating five servings of fruits and vegetables daily.

3 Steps to Help You Eat 5 Servings of Fruits and Veggies a Day

1) Purchase Produce
Keep your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer stocked with healthy choices. 

2) Prep your Produce
I prepare my produce on the weekends if I am being super organized and productive. When I have prepped my produce, it is convenient to use for meals or as a quick snack.

3) Pack your Produce
You've purchased and prepped your produce, so it's easy to grab and go! Aim to include  a variety of food groups in your lunch: protein. Choose a grain, a protein source, a fruit, a vegetable, and/or a dairy product.

Benefits of Produce

        Choose fresh, frozen, pre-portioned, canned (in it’s own juice for fruits or with "no added salt" for vegetables). Vegetables, like bell pepper, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, and cucumbers, add color, micronutrients, fiber, and crunch to your lunch. Fruits add color, micronutrients like folic acid and vitamin C, fiber, and can help satisfy a sweet tooth. Enjoy!

I hope you are encouraged to try to incorporate five serving of fruits and vegetables into your diet. Have you ever met the "5 a Day" Challenge? 

For more tips and encouragement for healthy eating, follow RDtipoftheday to Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. 

Food Myth: Dietitians Eat Perfectly

You’re a dietitian so you must eat perfectly, right? That is one of the questions I get asked most frequently. I don’t think that’s the case. Neither is my goal to eat “perfectly.” I’m still not sure what that means, but it sounds like an unrealistic expectation. In my experience, unrealistic dietary expectations lead to impossible goals, lack of healthy behavior change, and in some cases disordered patterns of eating. Instead of eating “perfectly,” my goals are to make better (i.e. healthy) choices everyday and to find balance between eating, exercise, and living life!

Make healthy choices daily

Balance eating, exercise, and living a healthy life

For those that know me, they can attest to my love of sweets. My mom joked with me, when I was little that I didn’t have a “sweet tooth.” No, I had “sweet teeth!”

To help me make better “sweet” choices, I try to keep healthy, sweet things convenient. For me, this means packing a couple servings of fruit for lunch and snacks at work. I also keep a fruit bowl at home. This means that it is just as quick and convenient to grab a piece of fruit, as it is to grab a pre-packaged, saturated fat-filled sweet snack. Don’t get me wrong, I still usually eat about a “sweet” a day, but I am incorporating more fruit and vegetables into my diet. Convenient, healthy snacks have helped me find a better dietary balance. 

This week RDtipoftheday will focus on tips and recipes to help you get more vegetables in your diet. What steps have you taken to find a healthy balance in your life?

Follow RDtipoftheday on Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest for more recipes and tips. 

RDtipoftheday

One of my passions is helping people. I love teaching, and these two things are combined in my being a dietitian. As a registered dietitian (RD), I get the opportunity to help people every day by teaching nutrition. My hope is to help and encourage people to become healthier by making small, healthy changes to their diet and lifestyle choices.

You can follow RDtipoftheday on Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter for tips, tricks, and encouragement to make healthy choices every day!

Disclaimer: Information shared on this website and the associated social media accounts is intended for informational purposes only  This material does not constitute medical advice. Please consult a physician or your personal registered dietitian for specific treatment recommendations.