How to Get 5 Servings of Fruits and Vegetables a Day: Quick Weeknight Meals That Pack in the Produce
Here’s help to make sure you get the optimum number of servings (5-a-day, or more) of fruit and vegetables.
July 7, 2009
By Eating Well
Looking for ways to get your “5-a-day” (or more) of fruits and veggies? Here are some healthy choices:
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Begin with a base of leafy greens, which supply plenty of folate, a B vitamin needed for the growth of healthy cells. The darker the greens, the better. Then add some colorful vegetables — tomatoes, carrots, green peppers. The more colors you can include, the greater the variety of phytochemicals you’ll benefit from.
Cereal, yogurt, whole-wheat pancakes, even grain-based salads. Research shows that people who eat blue and purple fruits and vegetables, including blueberries but also plums, purple cabbage and purple grapes, have a reduced risk for high blood pressure and low HDL cholesterol (that’s the good kind). Scientists believe that anthocyanins, the compounds that give purple and blue foods their color, are responsible for these boons.
Don’t let sky-high produce prices keep you from filling up on veggies and fruits in the off season. Make your selection from the freezer section. Fruits and vegetables chosen for freezing tend to be processed at their peak ripeness, a time when — as a general rule — they are most nutrient-packed.
