How many of you get your 5 A Day?

[BellaDonna]

Just wondering, how many of you actually eat 5 servings or more of fruits/vegetables every day?

 

link removed

 

Even for me it somehow seems really hard to- and I lead a healthy lifestyle. Ususally the most I can get in is 3 servings.

 

Though most of the nutrition and health research is loud and clear: fruits and veggies have so many health benefits.

 

This is a boring thread- I'll be the first to admit it- but I'm curious: for those of you who get your 5 a day- how do you sneak them in?

 

I've been trying to add more veggies to things like soup, brown rice etc. I try to put fruit in my yogurt or cereal.

 

I'm not sure if I ever got over my childhood rebellion of not eating my vegetables. :splat:

 

BellaDonna

[ImThatGirl]

I certainly don't get my five a day.

 

Have you tried carrots or fresh veggies as a snack like afternoon and evening snack?

[BellaDonna]

Have you tried carrots or fresh veggies as a snack like afternoon and evening snack?

 

That's my main problem, I hate eating vegetables on their own. In fact if I try to eat veggies raw, it's an instant gag. I've never liked them. I can sneak carrots, celery, or spinach into soup. But I can't just snack on them. The only ones I like to eat raw are peppers, but them I regret it later because I'll taste them for 3 days after that.

 

I've tried to eat broccoli both raw and cooked at least a hundred times, and it tastes so aversive to me.

 

If I'm lacking anything, it's the veggies. The fruits I don't struggle with as much because they actually taste good. With veggies I have to really disguise them well or mix them in with other things, which takes a lot of work in the kitchen. That is probably why I don't get my 5 in. They are not easily within reach in a form that tastes good.

 

 

 

BellaDonna

[shes2smart]

This is something I've been working on over the course of the past year in conjunction with my therapy with the dietician.

 

It's actually fairly easy, although technically, I'm probably eating too much fruit and not enough veggies.

 

Here's how it shakes out for me on a typical weekday:

 

breakfast includes 2 pieces/servings of fruit such as a banana and some cut-up melon or cut-up pineapple or strawberries. I tend to eat the more perishable-type fruits at breakfast so I don't have to go toting them to work for lunch. I also have some cereal and a matzo or packet of melba toast with butter and green tea. If I'm really hungry, I'll have a little cheese, too.

 

due to my job, I cannot leave the building for lunch (I'm on the air during what would be my lunch hour) so I have to pack lunch. this turns out to be a good thing. Typical lunch might include leftovers from the previous night's dinner and 2 pieces of fruit. Depending on what's in season - an apple, a pear, grapes, cherries, a banana, an orange or tangerine. Depending on what the leftovers are, there may be a vegetable included in that -- like in a serving of leftover casserole.

 

Dinner varies greatly but if the main course doesn't incorporate a vegetable (like corn in a casserole or potatoes in a stew), I will have a cooked vegetable as a side. We tend to have home-cooked food most nights because I usually like to cook and it's just cheaper and better for you than take-out/fast food/restaurant food.

 

So, that squeaks by with 5 day...although of them are fruit. But, fresh fruit is still better than filling up on processed crap.

 

My next goal is to cut down/cut out as much processed Frankenfood as possible and eat just the minimally processed real stuff.

 

This leaves out many (if not all) the foods that you see advertised on a regular basis.

[quietgrl]

I'm a diabetic and i don't eat enough fruit and veggie.

[LostInMyThoughts]

This guy right here.

 

Especially when I'm doing MMA training.

 

Fruits and Veggies, 5 a day (at least). And of all different colors.

[BellaDonna]

Dinner varies greatly but if the main course doesn't incorporate a vegetable (like corn in a casserole or potatoes in a stew),

 

I don't have too many problems with eating potatoes or corn- I love them- but in general I try to stay away from them due to all the starch and refined carbs. They techincally count as "veggies" but their content is not as nutritous as richer green veggies.

 

I've recently forced myself to eat sweet potatoes in place of white potatoes. But I wish I could get more greens in.

 

I do like salad- but how much lettuce can one eat without feeling like a rabbit? -And then there's the temptation to put dressing on it, which adds calories (even if you use the light kind)

 

I think I need a vegetable IV bag.

 

Yesterday this was my poor attempt at 5 A day:

 

Breakfast: wheat english muffin with natural peanut butter and 1 orange

 

mid morning snack: 2% string cheese and 1 cup red grapes

 

lunch: Turkey breast on 15 grain bread with lettuce

 

mid afternoon snack: fat free vanilla yogurt

 

Dinner: Grilled chicken breast, brown rice, peas

 

The leaf of lettuce in my sandwhich at lunch does not really count. The peas are still quite starchy and not as good as having a side of green beens or spinach- but I can't eat it.

 

My other dilemma: I would love to be a vegetarian but I don't like vegetables. Scout once gave me some very good tips on making the change, but even with the "fake meat" options made from soy, etc- I think my diet would be very lacking and limiting. So for now I just cut out red meat.

 

BellaDonna

[gnabna]

BellaDonna,

 

how about trying some snow peas? i love them raw but you can also cook with your brown rice & chicken you are already eating. also stir fry is a great way to get vegies in you can easily just do cabbage, onions and carrots and have a great add in to your brown rice & chicken again.

 

what about cucumbers for snack time too- a lil bit of red wine vinegar and olive oil makes them yummy! i also like to do that with fresh tomatoes. i make fresh salsa as often as i can- i am in love with cilantro and adding an avocado to your sandwhich is just yum and it is good fat that our brains need.

 

so now i am starving! gonna go get some of that 5 right now!

[Daddy Bear]

i keep apples and bananas in the house, and stir-fry a lot of veggies. right now i'm munching on baby carrots. but 5 a day? no way. thank goodness i take multis and C pills daily.

 

my ex is much worse off. her diet is almost exclusively carnivorous, despite 20+ years of me telling her it was a bad idea. at age 45 last year she was lucky to survive a major heart attack, which she promptly blamed on me for "stressing her out." now she takes 4 or so different pills every day, none of which contain any nutrients.

 

and so it goes...

[Baby Carrot]

Not me.

 

I eat pure garbage, so I try to make sure at least I take my vitamines...

 

So that keeps me reasonably healthy. But no, I hate fruits and veggies. I could live from carbs just. And I actually do it.

 

This is gonna hurt some day. I just know it.

 

Eek!

[Clementine orange]

I usually do. A daily V-8 juice helps too. I usually bring cut up apples or grapes in a tupperware container in the car and munch on them during the commute.

For a while I kept a "food diary" and that made me aware of what I was eating (and not eating). I found it helpful. There's on-line ones too.

I find it easier to stay away from Junk food if I eat lots of fruits and veg.

 

I heard that it's supposed to be 5 to 12 servings of fruits and veg though. And that's in Canada where during some of the year... well, you'd better get used to frozen and tinned unless you have lotsa money

Oh to live in California!

[RayKay]

Definitely! I LOVE veggies and fruits. It's weird, but one of the things I CRAVE after a long run or ride is fresh salad with chicken or something, and lots of nice veggies.

 

I generally have some fruit with my oatmeal at breakfast, and veggies/fruit with my sandwhich at lunch. At dinner I tend to have a nice big salad with grilled chicken or something similar, sometimes grilled veggies, and I will snack on veggies or fruit during the day along with my yogurt or some nuts or cheese or whatever.

 

I was vegetarian for about 10 years, so I think that really developed my taste more so for veggies and fruit, and even though I eat meat now again, my diet is "based" around the veggies, fruits, whole grains that I ate while a vegetarian with lean meats thrown in.

 

Actually here's a tip that I just thought of when I read one of your posts above: you should NOT use light dressing on salad, because you do not absorb as much of the vitamins in the salad that way. You need some essential fats to absorb it, so even just a drizzle of oil and vinegar dressing is a good idea. And really, you want to absorb those vitamins otherwise what is the point

[markfromark]

A daily V-8 juice helps too.

 

How is the quality of that V-8 juice? I am glad when I get 1 or fruits/veggies a day and I was thinking that a V-8 juice provides me with all fruits/veggies that I need.

[Alezia]

Well, I do get my servings but I love vegetables and fruits.. I'm the kind of person who goes to subway and orders the 'everything' on their sub which the girl who is making them proceeds to stare at you....

Can you eat vegetables with some dip maybe? or make them fun like aspargus w/ bacon wrapped around? soups? chicken/ham alfredo pasta w/ veggies on top?

I don't really have that problem myself but it's just a way I eat them

[New_Horizons]

Is there any vegetable you like, besides corn and potatoes? Anyway, I think the 5 A Day rule is rather broad. Some veggies (asparagus and broccoli) are WAY more nutritious than others (like lettuce and cucumbers).

 

Anyway I am a vegetarian and even I don't get all my servings daily!

[applepie]

I usually get around 8 (5 veg, 3 fruit). I'm a vegan, so it's kind of hard for me not to.

 

today it was: grapes, grapefuit, kiwi, tomato, potato, spinach, celery, carrot.

 

I also had some orange juice.

[Clementine orange]

How is the quality of that V-8 juice? I am glad when I get 1 or fruits/veggies a day and I was thinking that a V-8 juice provides me with all fruits/veggies that I need.

 

I think home made fresh squeezed fruit/veg juice is probably better but I don't have the time or tools for that.

I usually do a V-8 if I think that day I've eaten less. That or else my packed lunch looks a little small. V-8 kinda fills you up so it's a good snack too.