Confession time. I love my fruits and veggies, but some days even I’m thinking, “I need to make sure we eat how much produce? Really?! I’ll be lucky to get quesadillas on the table today.” Yes, I’m a dietitian, but even dietitians have crazy days!
The recommendation for adults is to eat 2 cups of fruit and 2 ½ to 3 cups of veggies every day. Your babies age 2-3 years old need 1 cup of each, your kids ages 4-8 need 1-1 ½ cups fruit and 1 ½ cups vegetables, and your older kids aged 9-13 need 2 cups vegetables and 1 ½ cups fruit. I know that seems like a lot and it can be hard to even keep that much on hand!
What I’ve found, though, is that it’s really not that hard to get all that produce every day with a few minutes of planning before things get crazy (and they always do). Here are some of the things that have worked the best to make sure my family is getting more of those all-important fruits and vegetables:
- Briefly plan the entrees: What does that have to do with getting my fruits and veggies? Well, if you know you are having tacos on Tuesday it’s a lot easier to remember to pick up tomatoes, avocado, and lettuce rather than standing in the produce aisle wondering what to buy. Even better, plan your entrees and sides and you’ll be that much further ahead!
- Stock up on low cost fruits and veggies for snacks: think carrots, apples, oranges, bananas, celery, and whatever is cheap due to seasonality (kiwis, berries, peaches, etc. can be really expensive at times, but can be quite affordable at the right time of year). When produce isn’t taking as big of a chunk of your grocery budget, it is easier to buy more.
- Prep snack veggies right after shopping: I’ll admit it’s hard to have the self-discipline to do this, but while you already have the food out on the counter after shopping, it only takes a few minutes more to wash the produce, cut it, and throw them into Ziplock bags for quick, grab and go snacks or to pack in lunches. 5-10 minutes once will save you 5-10 minutes every day.
- Put fruit in a bowl on the counter or table: When it’s visible and easily accessible, it’s more likely to be eaten. This is one thing I’m proud to say we always do and it makes a HUGE difference (like my husband and I eat at least 2 more fruit servings a day since we started doing this). The picture above is what we currently have on our table in the bowl my Grandpa made for us!
- Use canned and frozen produce: canned and frozen produce is just as healthy as fresh produce (and actually healthier in some cases, but that discussion is worth its own post) and it is often much cheaper. And the best part is it’s often even more convenient. Opening a can of green beans or popping a frozen bag of broccoli in the microwave is a great way to fit in those veggies on a hectic dinner night.
- Set out the fruits and vegetables before your hectic meals: this is something my husband actually started and I think it’s ingenious! He sets a banana, apple, orange or raisins at his place at the table each night before we go to bed so that the next morning he remembers to eat it at breakfast or so he can take it if he’s on the run. For lunch, I’ll try to set a piece of fruit, carrot sticks, celery or other yummy-even-at-room-temperature produce at our seats when things are calmer so that I don’t forget them during the mad dash of lunch. I definitely owe my husband for that idea!
We have tried several things and these ideas have been the most helpful for us in making sure we get all the servings of fruits and veggies we need each day. What do you do to help your family eat more fruits and vegetables?