It’s that time of the year again. The smell of treats and candies have filled the air, but what about your fruits and vegetables? Fruits and vegetables are irrefutably healthy, most people know this, but why aren’t more people eating them? Fruits and vegetables are good for you, they are usually always recommended for people trying to lose weight, and they can even lower the risk of heart disease and improve diabetes. Almost all popular diets and nutritionists will agree that everyone should eat more fruits and vegetables, but it seems like a vague recommendation because it’s common knowledge, right? So, what prevents people from getting their 3 servings of fruits and 5 servings of vegetables in per day, knowing the great benefits behind them? Is taste the culprit, or lack of fresh fruits and vegetables, or are they just too expensive? Whatever excuse someone may use to avoid them should significantly outweigh the many benefits to consuming fruits and vegetables everyday.
When you know the many benefits to consuming fruits and vegetables, it makes it more difficult to offer up reasons to not consume them on a regular basis. I often see people that get lost in the small details on fruits and vegetables and opt for avoiding them instead of consuming them. An example of this would be someone that thinks organic food is so much better than conventional food, but will get an organic box of chips before they would get a conventional apple. Another more common example of this is people that buy fresh vegetables and don’t eat them in time so they get wasted and the person doesn’t buy vegetables anymore.
This table shows the specific benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables to help prevent chronic disease.
The solution to this problem would be to get vegetables that have a longer shelf-life, things like frozen vegetables or even canned vegetables just so that someone can get their daily vegetables in per day. This solution is about progress, not perfection and if we can start with a small habit of getting vegetables in (even if they are frozen or from a can), at least we can build upon that habit as time goes on and get better and better food quality, as opposed to shooting for the best and freshest foods that get tossed because vegetable consumption wasn’t a habit. Try some these tips and I am sure you’ll be able to get in your daily fruits and vegetables per day. If you have any questions, just ask. We are here to help you be the best version of you possible.