Increasing your intake of disease-busting veggies and fruit

It goes without saying that a truly healthy diet, particularly one that includes tons of fruit and vegetables, prevents disease.  A nutritious diet also provides us with loads of energy, a clear mind, and can dramatically reduce the dreaded signs of aging.  Fruits and veggies are nutritional powerhouses and are full of fiber, and many have incredible flavors and textures.  For all of these reasons, LET’S EAT AS MANY OF THEM AS WE CAN! 

When trying to up your intake of nature’s bounty, there are a couple of helpful strategies that can contribute to your success.

Always have a variety of options in the fridge.  You can’t eat more fruits and veggies if you don’t have them in the house - duh!  For me this usually means buying organic and/or local produce at the Farmer’s Market or grocery store on the weekend, and getting a delivery box of organic produce delivered during the week.  That way I’m stocked all week long.  There are many organic/local CSA’s and produce delivery options out there now.  A simple google search will likely find one serving your neighborhood.

Always have raw fruits and veggies prepped and ready to eat.  When you’re hungry and on a snack hunt you are way more likely to pull out a container of carrots that have already been washed and cut than you are to take the time to pull out some whole carrots and wash and cut them in that moment.  Same story with a watermelon, for another example.  

On the typical two days a week that I have fresh produce come in the door I have pre-planned, set aside time to wash, peel, chop, slice, etc. everything that needs to be prepared and then store it all in containers in the fridge.  This usually includes things like carrots, lettuce, kale, peppers, cucumbers, grapes, berries, etc.  Even foods that don’t need to be prepped ahead of time, such as apples and bananas can be made to appear more enticing simply by taking their stickers off right when they arrive in the kitchen (try it and you’ll see what I mean).

Always have veggies that need to be cooked ready to roast (or bake or steam or saute). 

Another thing I like to do is prepare veggies for roasting ahead of time by chopping them up and storing them together in a container in the fridge, then all I have to do on the night I’m ready to roast them for dinner is add a little oil and seasonings and pop them in the oven.  I also prep veggies that I plan to steam, like green beans and broccoli, then stick them in the fridge. Then they are ready to be taken out, dumped in a pot, and steamed at a moment’s notice.

Incorporating these three strategies will set you up for success and will eliminate the excuse of not having the time to eat well.  I now look forward to those two times a week that I spend time prepping and even find it relaxing.  While I wash and chop, I listen to music or a podcast and meditate on how good it feels and how fortunate I am to be able to provide these disease-busting foods to my family. 

Here are some more helpful ideas to fill your belly with the best!

Buy bags of frozen organic fruits and veggies - These typically come pre-prepared and are usually going to be just as, or almost as packed with nutrients as your fresh produce.  A bag of frozen cauliflower can be dumped into the pot and steamed in just minutes, and frozen fruit is all ready to go into a smoothie.  If you are a Costco member you can find huge bags of frozen organic fruit and veggies there at great prices.

Make fruit/veggie Smoothies in a Nutribullet or good blender - as long as you put in enough fruit to sweeten up the taste of the veggies, even your kids will drink it up!  My favorite recipe includes a half cup of berries, half cup of cherries, half a banana, a cup of kale or spinach, a quarter cup of zucchini, a cup of non-dairy milk (usually macadamia, coconut, or almond), a little water, and a quarter cup of avocado for creaminess.  

Big Salads! - Elaine from Seinfeld would agree, what better thing to do with all of your pre-prepared raw veggies than toss them together in a delicious salad!  A great dressing you can make is 1 tbsp olive oil, 1.5 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, salt, pepper, and other seasonings that you enjoy.  Add some walnuts and chopped dates (if you’ve never had a fresh date before then you haven’t really lived!) and you’ll never look at a salad the same way again.  

Practice makes perfect - the more you have veggies at every meal the more your taste buds and your mind will learn to expect it!  If ever I have a lunch or dinner without a veggie now, it just feels weird and wrong.

Start with the good stuff - eat a salad or raw veggies with organic hummus as an appetizer before you eat the rest of your meal.

Crowd out the other stuff - the more veggies you put on your plate the less room there is for less healthy stuff.  Pretty straightforward.

Choose especially filling veggies and fruit - such as sweet potatoes, winter squash, avocado, and a mountain of ripe raspberries - yum! 

Try including veggies in as many things as you can - put lettuce, tomato, avocado, and onion on your sandwiches/wraps.  Make a spinach pesto for your chicken.  Try adding kale and mushrooms to your scrambled eggs.  Once you really start making the effort you’ll be surprised to find how much more interesting and alluring colorful veggies can make a meal.

And finally, my personal favorite, fruit for dessert! - beautiful, ripe fruit truly is nature’s candy.  There’s no need for a junky slice of cake or scoop of sugary ice cream when you have a bowl of perfectly sweet berries or a juicy plum waiting for you after dinner!

Let’s not forget that most fruit and especially veggies are naturally low in calories, so no real need to worry about eating too much - instead we all need to be worried about the fact that most of us are not eating nearly enough.  The “five servings a day” challenge is woefully inadequate -- shoot for a minimum of 10 consistently then see how you feel and look.  YOU CAN DO IT!  And your body and mind will thank you!

Note: While buying organic/local produce is essential for optimal health, it is a sad reality that, because of an extremely broken system, these foods are usually very pricey and can even be hard to find in many areas of the country.  That being said, having good health is so worth prioritizing and making sacrifices for. Consider making cuts elsewhere in your budget whenever possible in order to be able to put more disease-fighting foods on the table.  As Prince Humperdinck famously quoted, “If you haven’t got your health, you haven’t got anything!”