We're constantly struggling to fit it all in: work, family, socializing, exercise...and fruits and veggies.
Yep. We see that "daily recommended" 5 to 9 servings and - amidst our calorie-watching - wonder: How can I ever get all that into one day's worth of eating? It's so much, and beside, I don't have time to prepare all that.
I heard that lament over and over again last week, during the kickoff of the Fall 2010 Wellness Challenge I am coordinating at my office. My co-workers and I are busy, and senior management is even busier. We're often eating on the go, or getting so wrapped up in the day that we're not eating as often or as much as we should to keep our metabolism going.
What I quickly picked up from our discussion, though, was that we tend to have misperceptions or misinformation about serving sizes and the effort it takes to fit them in.
We think a serving of fruit means cutting and eating some big bowl of fruit salad, when in fact all it takes is peeling a banana or rinsing that crisp Fuji apple before biting in. We think a serving of veggies means shopping and seasoning and roasting a pan full of asparagus, when in fact all we have to do is munch on 10 pre-cut, pre-washed baby carrots purchased from the grocery store.
So today, let's get back to basics and talk about how to fit it all in - conveniently.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says we need five to nine servings a day, slightly less for inactive older adults or the little kiddies. So what does "one serving" mean? It depends on the fruit or vegetable, but generally that's a half cup of sliced/diced/chopped fruits or veggies; one cup of greens like spinach; or one whole apple/banana/orange/etc.
Here's a look at typical serving sizes for fruits and vegetables (Put this on your refrigerator!!!):
Fruits
- one banana
- six strawberries
- two plums
- fifteen grapes
- one apple
- one peach
- one half cup of orange or other fruit juice
Vegetables
- five broccoli florets
- ten baby carrots
- one roma tomato
- 3/4 cup tomato juice
- half of a baked sweet potato
- one ear of corn
- four slices of an onion
- four ounces of V8
- one cup of spinach, uncooked
OK, maybe you're still thinking: How do I fit five to nine of those thing into my daily eating?
My answer: Plan to sneak it in, throughout the day with each meal and snack.
Like this:
- If you make a sandwich, use spinach instead of iceberg lettuce. Add sliced cucumbers or green peppers for crunch. At Subway, go full veggies on top of that turkey sub.
- If you scramble eggs or make an omelette, toss in spinach or diced tomatoes or green peppers (or all three!) at the end
- When you make a smoothie, toss in a handful of strawberries or a peach, plum or half a banana
- For a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack, eat a banana or apple with a small amount of peanut or almond butter or string cheese (fruit carbs plus protein will keep your energy up).
- Snack on grapes instead of M&Ms.
- Have a salad with grilled chicken for lunch instead of a sandwich. That salad altogether can have as many as 5 servings in it if you do it right, and for minimal calories. A cup of spinach is less than 20 calories; a cucumber is about 30; same with a tomato. So load up on salad without breaking the bank - keeping dressings light and minimal, of course.
- For an easy meal, make couscous (whole wheat and cooks in 5 minutes) and toss in chopped spinach, diced red peppers and chopped cucumbers.
- Keep your car, purse and office stocked with baby carrots, apples, bananas, and plums or peaches. They're portable, light, and they're a better choice than whatever you get from the office vending machine or roadside drive-thru.
- Shop for convenience if you know your schedule demands it. Those pre-diced peppers, onions, and fruit cups at the grocery store cost more but they're worth it if that's what it will take for you to actually eat them and use them in your cooking.
