by L.M. Redding

Created on: October 14, 2008   Last Updated: May 22, 2012

The average U.S. adult doesn't eat the recommended daily five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables. But necessity is the mother of invention, right? So if you want to load up on fruits and veggies, be innovative. Here's how. Ever notice that at a buffet there's a huge spread for you to choose from? Part of the trick to fitting in more fruits and veggies is to experiment with different recipes.

If you're eating dry cereal, add fresh fruit. Slice up apples, strawberries and bananas, or try blueberries. If you like yogurt for breakfast, mix these fruits into plain or vanilla yogurt. Prefer oatmeal? Mash a banana in the water before you add the oatmeal. If you're an eggs and bacon person you can always make an omelet, dice up some onions and chop up some fresh spinach. Then have a piece of fruit along with it. That way you'll have one serving of fruit and one serving of vegetables and the day has just begun.

If you get hungry before lunch, snack on raw vegetables. Baby carrots are sweet and easily portable in Ziploc bags. How about apple slices with peanut butter? You can roll sliced turkey or ham inside spinach leaves as a quick snack. And instead of using plain iceberg lettuce on your sandwich, substitute raw spinach. Or you can eat cucumber fingers. Peel and slice a cucumber length-wise into strips. Add salt and pepper and drizzle with fresh lemon juice or vinegar.

When lunch time hits, eat a fruit or vegetable salad along with your lunch. Make sure this isn't simply a few lettuce leaves with lots of meat and cheese on top. Have a real salad made with red lettuce, spinach or both. Pile on the tomatoes, corn, broccoli, and any other vegetable you like. Toss in some cranberries and nuts to give it a sweet and crunchy taste.

Make a carrot, raisin and pineapple salad. Drain the juice from a can of pineapple. Grate up some carrots and add raisins. Mix the pineapples, carrots, raisins and mayo. Or how about a giant tomato stuffed with tuna fish salad? Cut a hole in the top of the tomato and scoop out some of the seeds and replace it with the tuna fish salad.

Or have a fruit salad. Depending on the season, you have a choice of watermelon, honey dew or cantaloupe. Mangos, de-pitted, sliced and sprinkled with salt is another good choice. Just about any fruit that is in season and which you like will do.

For dinner you can relax. Many people tend to build their meals around whatever meat they're having, and you can still do that. But if you normally don't eat vegetables as part of dinner, then start. Broccoli is an easy dish to prepare, and if you melt cheese on it kids will love it. Corn is another popular choice. Try fresh green peas. If you can't buy your vegetables fresh, the next best option is frozen.

And if you're already eating vegetables with dinner, then have two different vegetables once or twice a week and see how you like the adjustment. Don't forget about having fruit for dessert instead of a piece of cake. Frozen grapes are a cool treat. The other trick to fitting more fruits and vegetables in our diet is to simply do it. Start now.

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