by Judith Windover

Created on: October 14, 2008   Last Updated: October 20, 2008

Your Daily Five to Ten in 10 Simple Ways

The secrets out. A diet rich in vegetables and fruits not only helps you lose weight, it leads to lower blood pressure, reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, and some cancers; reduced digestive problems, and has a stabilizing effect on blood sugar levels. Growing evidence proves plant-based foods help control food cravings and overeating.

Think it isdifficult to get your recommended daily requirements of healthy fruits and vegetables? Think again.

Choose from one of the following 10 choices and discover simple ways to get more fruits and vegetables into your day.

Forgo your early morning coffee by half an hour.
Start every morning with an eight ounce glass of berry greens in a glass of water or juice a half hour before coffee or breakfast to ensure you get off to a good start.

Think fresh to increase nutritional value.
Add freshly chopped fruit or berries to plain yogurt sweetened with Stevia or honey.

In the open.
Keep fruit out in the open on the counter or in the front of the fridge where visibility of healthy choices helps increase your intake.

Substitute fruits and vegetables for higher-calorie foods.
Snack on celery stalks filled with peanut butter, or a baked potato filled with fresh basil, a tsp of olive oil, and feta cheese, instead of cookies, popcorn or potato chips.

Main Attraction
Make vegetables the main course of your meal at least once a day; vegetable salads, stir fries, pureed homemade vegetable soups, or fruit salads with walnuts, hemp hearts, and pumpkin seeds.

Drink your fruits and vegetables.
Create your own fruit beverage by adding fresh watermelon juice from to your favorite smoothie. Add a cup of frozen mixed berries instead of ice as a thickener. Drink a low sodium, non sweetened vegetable juice a half hour before meals to ward off hunger and reduce overeating.

Think fiber. High fiber diets reduce the risks of certain types of cancer, help lower cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar levels.Add a half glass of prune juice every day to help meet your daily fruits and vegetable intake and increase your fiber intake too.

Super size it.
Order extra vegetables on your burger, sub, or wrap sandwich, and exchange your fries for a salad instead.

Think color to get a healthy variety of fruits and vegetables.
No single fruit or vegetable provides all of the nutrients you need to be healthy. The key lies in the variety of different vegetables and fruits that you eat. Make a rainbow fruit plate with apples, plums, pineapple, watermelon, grapes, prickly pears, mandarins,and cherries. Or try a hearty vegetable array of corn, cauliflower, artichokes, cucumber, orange grilled peppers and tomato wedges lightly drizzled with freshly squeezed lemon juice and raspberry vinaigrette.

Preserve your fruits and vegetables.
Create your own fruit spreads. Jarred and unsweetened seasonal fruits are a great way to enjoy the flavor and nutritional value of your favorite fruits all year round.Combine apples with peaches, pears with apricots, or raspberries with blackberries.

Remember, five is the minimum amount. In the case of fruits and vegetables, more is definitely better.

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