We’ve all heard the advice – eat your fruits and vegetables – but few regularly get enough of these invaluable foods in their daily diets. So for those of you thinking there has to be an easier way to eat healthier, you’re in luck!
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults eat about 400 grams of fruits and vegetables per day, in light of an overabundant collection of evidence that suggests how protective they are in promoting healthy body function and overall wellbeing. A healthy diet helps to protect against malnutrition in all its forms, as well as non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer. Conversely, a diet based on processed, sodium-rich foods can be vastly detrimental to our bodies.
According to WHO, a healthy diet for an adult includes:
- Fruit, vegetables, legumes (e.g. lentils and beans), nuts and whole grains (e.g. unprocessed maize, millet, oats, wheat and brown rice).
- At least 400 grams (i.e. five portions) of fruit and vegetables per day, excluding potatoes, sweet potatoes, cassava and other starchy roots.
- Less than 10 percent of total energy intake from free sugars, which is equivalent to 50 g (or about 12 level teaspoons) for a person of healthy body weight consuming about 2000 calories per day.
- Less than 30% of total energy intake from fats.
- Less than 5g of salt (equivalent to about one teaspoon) per day. Salt should be iodized.
While vowing to skip favorite foods, like pizza and burgers, forever might seem like an appropriate knee-jerk reaction when facing the harmful realities of the American diet, there are actually small, less intrusive methods of ensuring a healthier ratio of the foods we eat. Making a major adjustment to our diets can be scary, but it doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing ordeal. To help you get started, our Jacksonville health and wellness experts selected their favorite tips to get more greens! Keep reading to learn more!
Easy-ish ways to eat more vegetables and fruit
Leafy greens and low glycemic fruits, like strawberries, blueberries, apples and pears, are the cornerstone to building a healthier diet. We’ve already talked about how these foods are packed with nutrients and low in calories, but how can we fit more of them into our daily meals?
Get Blending
Who doesn’t love a good smoothie? Whether enjoyed first thing in the morning or as a mid-day snack, a smoothie can be a quick and easy method of turbocharging our fruit and vegetable intake. In addition, this is a much healthier alternative to fads, like juicing, which removes healthy digestive fiber.
If you’re new to smoothies, shops like Smoothie King or Tropical Juice Cafe are great places to try out new flavors; however, the cheapest and easiest way is to make smoothies yourself at home. We recommend looking up tasty recipes and adding a handful of spinach or kale to the mix. Additionally, frozen veggies, like cauliflower, can be added to a smoothie in place of ice and is nearly undetectable.
Supplement with Daily Greens
Many health experts swear by this health hack as a nearly effortless way to get in their greens.
Greens powder, often called Daily Greens or Complete Greens, is a dietary supplement category that typically contains a combination of vegetables, fruits, algae or grasses that have been processed and distilled into a powdered form. Some are designed to be dissolved in water for a quick morning boost, while others can be combined with favorite beverages or used as a sweetener.
At our Jacksonville practice, we recommend Isotonix Complete Greens, which features a combination of wheatgrass, barley grass, alfalfa grass, spirulina, chlorella, broccoli powder, spinach powder and cabbage powder; all carefully selected ingredients for their efficacy for optimal results. Like all the Isotonix products we carry, this supplement is designed for fast and complete nutritional absorption.
Meal Plan Before Grocery Shopping
We’ve all been there. Hungry, roaming the aisles of our local grocery store and searching for inspiration for what to cook. Unfortunately, this typically leads to grabbing easy and unhealthy familiar choices. Try planning ahead to break this cycle and start buying and using more fruits and vegetables.
Look up recipes you’d like to try, make a grocery list of items needed and pre-plan what days you’ll have time to cook. This strategy can help reduce the amount of money spent each week on groceries and food waste. Further, if you have ingredients, like salad mix or bananas, close to spoiling you can freeze them for use in smoothies.
Prepare for Late Day Hunger
Our will to eat healthier is at its weakest when hunger hits. It is second nature to grab the quickest, most readily available snack in this state. Luckily, this can actually be used to your advantage.
Rather than having a stash of your favorite chips or sweets, ensure your fridge or pantry has easy-to-grab healthy options. A pre-made salad, carrot slices and hummus, celery and peanut butter are all excellent options.
Are you looking for assistance with your health journey? If you live in the Jacksonville, FL area and are interested in improving your health, contact our team today!
Our health and wellness team is now taking appointments for new patients and is standing by to assist you with medically proven therapeutic treatment programs to help you reach your wellness goals. So, when walking through our doors, you can expect friendly, knowledgable and compassionate care, plus dependable access to your doctor. Request an appointment today or call us at 904-724-5767.
