Fit in Fruits and Vegetables

Eating fruits and vegetables can do some amazing things for your body: help stave off chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, keep your skin healthy and your brain sharp, and help you lose weight without your feeling hungry. But the sad fact is that three out of four people don't get close to five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, which is the minimum amount recommended in the Healthy Living With Ellie program. If you count yourself among that majority, here are some tips to help you fit more of these nutritional powerhouses into your life!

• Buy bags of prewashed greens so you can make a salad in no time.
  
• Keep blueberries and grapes in the freezer, and nibble on them while they're still frozen.
  
• Make an extra-large batch of vegetable soup. Freeze the leftovers in single-serving containers for easy, instant homemade lunches on busy days.
  
• Every Monday, bring five pieces of fresh fruit to work, and eat one every day. Keep the fruit in a basket — not only will you eat more but you'll enjoy how it looks!
  
• For a satisfying snack, spread some peanut butter on apple slices or a banana.
  
• Take a half hour each week to cut up fresh fruits and veggies and store them in sealed containers. No one can resist a ready-to-eat fruit salad, and peppers, celery, and carrots are much more enticing when they are already washed and cut.
  
• Visit your local farmers' market. You'll be amazed at the array of colorful, delicious produce you'll find.

Going forward with the Healthy Living With Ellie program, make sure to eat at least two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables every day.