Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Eat Your Freggies... Here is How!

Are you getting enough freggies into your menu on a daily basis? 

Fruits and vegetables are the mainstay of my diet.  It always surprises me when I hear people say that they just don't seem to get enough and that they struggle with it.

Without going into all the reasons why we should be eating them, I thought I would talk a bit about how to eat enough of them...  give some ideas from my typical day's menu, so that you can get some ideas.  I don't suggest you follow them... they are just examples to show how easy I find it to eat my freggies.

The U.S. Food Pyramid suggests between 5 and 9 servings of fruit and vegetables, for adults, every day. 

So what is a serving?

Most whole fruits are considered 1 serving... apples, pears, peaches, oranges...

Blood Orange



but there are a couple of noteworthy exceptions:

A whole banana = 2 servings
A whole grapefruit = 2 servings

1/4 cup dried fruit such as raisins = 1 serving

1/2 cup fruit juice = 1 serving

For most vegetables 1/2 cup = 1 serving

For leafy green vegetables 1 cup = 1 serving

Tomato sauce can be counted... 1/2 cup = 1 serving
Salsa as well... 2 tablespoons = 1 serving


So let's look at a sample days eats...

Breakfast:

1/2 grapefruit with cinnamon
egg white omelet with 1/2 cup of slivered onions, peppers, mushrooms
2 Tbs salsa on top

Total = 3 servings

After-run protein smoothie:

1 cup spinach
1/2 cup mixed berries
1/2 banana
protein powder
milk

Total = 3 servings





Lunch:

3 ounces baked chicken breast, sliced
1 cup mixed Spring greens
1 tomato, sliced
slivers of mushrooms, green onions,  and cucumber to equal 1/2 cup
dressing of EVOO, vinegar and minced garlic
1 tomato and basil rice cake with 1 wedge Laughing Cow cheese on top
1 glass of fat free milk

Total = 3 servings

Afternoon Snack:

3 ounces edamame, steamed

Total = 1 serving





Dinner:

Pasta with 1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes
garlic, onions, peppers, bit of spinach to equal 1/2 cup
1 cup scoop of broccoli slaw

Total = 4 servings..


Evening Snack:

yougurt with 2 Tbs raisins, slivered almonds, cinnamon, and 1/2 apple, diced

Total = 1 serving

Day's Total = 15 servings.

Did you get that?  15 servings.  It really is not hard at all.

If you really have trouble getting in your freggies, you could easily drink 4 ounces of orange or grapefruit juice with  your breakfast, or have 1 cup of ice cold tomato juice as a pre-dinnner cocktail.

Here are some other ways to add more freggies to your day:

  • snack on fresh fruit and a handful of nuts instead of protein bars
  • use spaghetti squash instead of pasta or noodles for main dishes or soups
  • have humms for lunch with a variety of fresh veggies to dip into it
  • pile slices of fresh tomatoes on your pizza
  • add sprouts, cucumber slices and fresh tomato slices to your sandwiches
  • add veggies to your sauces, soups, stews and casseroles
  • add cooked veggies or fruit to your scrambled eggs or omelets at breakfast
  • keep dried fruit in your desk at work to snack on instead of candy or chocolate
  • experiment with different fruit and veggies in your smoothies
  • uses fresh fruit on skewers as cocktail garnishes
  • make fruit kebabs to grill on the barbecue
  • add spinach, bananas, squash or other sweet potatoes to your protein pancake batter

Green spinach pancakes for St.Patrick's Day
 
 
Peach and blueberry smoothie, premixing.
 
 
Spinach and raspberrie smoothie, pre-mixing.
 
 
 

And I urge you to try new kinds of fresh produce as often as you can...  make it an adventure.

So, how many servings do you get on a typical day?

If you don't get 7 to 9, can you think of some ways to eat more?








20 comments:

  1. Everything looks amazing, those blood oranges made my mouth water. Elle, you look like an amazing cook, eating real, balanced and healthy meals. Thank you for sharing some of these recipes... I look forward to trying.

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  2. Great tips! Somedays I am so much better than others about getting all my freggies in. I do love a big salad for lunch full of veggies.

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  3. Great advice and it really isn't that difficult, is it? I am a big green smoothie person so I load up from the get go most days.

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  4. Excellent post! I do not eat enough freggies at all. I should challenge myself to get better. I also need to ensure my kids get more as well. Thanks for the reminder.

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  5. FABBBBBulous this is set to tweet later my friend!!

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  6. Such great tips!! I had no idea that a full banana is two servings of fruit!

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  7. Excellent! Thanks for your kindness. Love your ideas.

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  8. Excellent! Thanks for you kindness in sharing so we can all get more points and be healthier! Love your ideas!

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  9. Mmmm, I've never thought of a spinach and raspberry smoothie. That sounds delicious!

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  10. Great job!! I don't have a problem getting them in either but these are good examples. I don't count all of mine, just my fresh fruit/veggie servings and my cooked veggies for dinner. I normally eat salad for lunch so minimum of 2 cups of greens there.

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  11. Thanks for this Elle! 15 servings?!? That's awesome. I didn't realize a banana was 2 servings either and my green smoothies definitely help get my freggies in!

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  12. GReat reminders! I love freggies however my Paleo Caveman struggles and would rather get them in powder and supplement form

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  13. Thank you for this post! I always need help to make sure I get my freggie points in and I know I have been now by reading this! you are awesome!! Thanks!

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  14. Nice!!!! I love this post and you're awesome! I am pretty sure I get anywhere from 5 (on a bad day) to 10 on a good day. I average around 7 :)

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  15. Great tips! And reading this I realize I'm getting even more than the bare minimum of 7 that I'd set for myself. Win!

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  16. FREGGIES! LOVE IT! great tips! shared!

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  17. I have never tried cinnamon on my grapefruit, but I love the benefits of both, so I'll give it a whirl! Thanks for the ideas!

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  18. Thank you for these tips. I KNOW I am not getting enough freggies right now, and I really need to. That Blood Orange looks amazing - I always have trouble finding them around here. I need to get back on track in 2013 and am actually looking forward to doing so!

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