GETTING STARTED WITH 5 A DAY (FRUITS AND VEGGIES)Not sure how to eat 5 to 9 Servings A Day? Start the day with 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice. Slice bananas or strawberries on top of your cereal. Have a salad with lunch, and an apple for an afternoon snack. Include a vegetable with dinner and you already have 5 A Day. If you need more than 5 servings per day (see chart above), try adding a piece of fruit for a snack or an extra vegetable (like carrots or green beans) at dinner.
There are so many choices when selecting fruits and vegetables. Have you ever tried kiwifruit? How about asparagus? Try something new that helps you reach your 5 to 9 A Day.
Keep things fresh and interesting by combining fruits and vegetables of different flavors and colors, like red grapes with pineapple chunks, or cucumbers and red peppers.
When you keep fruits and vegetables visible and easily accessible you tend to eat them more; for instance, store cut and cleaned produce at eye-level in the refrigerator, or keep a big bowl of fruit on the table.
You can get some of your 5 to 9 A Day at restaurants too. Try some of these healthy choices.
- veggie pizza
- pasta with vegetables (but watch out for those high fat cream sauces)
- fresh vegetable "wrap"
- vegetable soup
- small salad (instead of fries)
- plenty of fresh vegetables from the salad bar.
For more on 5 A Day click here: http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/tips/quick_tips.htm
