Hey Friend! Are you searching for easy ways to get more fruits and vegetables into your diet?
I can help!
In this article I share with you my system for making sure I eat more fruits and vegetables each day. It’s full of simple solutions and a plan that you can adjust for your own abundant health goals.
PLUS I created a FREE printable tally-sheet for you to help you keep track and reach your goals. You can grab it below.
Also check out the BONUS video and FREE resources below to help you live life more abundantly.
Why eat more fruits and vegetables?
Here are some scary headlines I just found on the internet:
And here are some hopeful ones:
The message is loud and clear: we need to eat more fruits and vegetables to feel better, live longer, and be happier. Hey friend, keep reading and I’ll show you easy ways you can eat more fruits and vegetables everyday.
Part of living life abundantly is having health and wellness to power the lives we want to live. One thing I’m doing to achieve abundant health is eating as much live food as possible. My goal is to get in around 15 servings of fruits and vegetables in a day. Some days it doesn’t happen, and some days I get in over 20! When I’m intentional about it I’m more likely to get in more than if I just left it to chance.
I created a printable tally-sheet to help me keep track. If you’d like one too, you can grab it below.
Being intentional means I have a plan and I’ve prioritized it. I’ve made room in my heart and time in my life for building health through my diet. It has to really be something I’m motivated about.
What motivates me?
My motivation is to feel good, have energy, and to support my body in healing. I want to be able to the things I want to do with the people I love. I want to not hurt so much. I want vitality, health, and wellness.
I want to explore mountains.
I want to run on beaches.
I want to chase some-day grand babies and play with them on the floor.
The best fuel for our bodies.
I know fruits and vegetables, herbs, and wholesome real food were created by a loving God who knew exactly what fuel our bodies would need to heal, build, and be strong. There are many places in scripture where we’re taught principles of healthy eating which includes fruits and vegetables. And with those principles are given promises that if we live them we will be blessed with abundant health.
It’s those promises that give me hope and motivation to make healthy eating a priority.
I eat as many fruits, vegetables, and whole foods as I can out of faith. Faith that all the effort I put into healthy eating will be for good because that’s what God promised. Faith that every time I crunch a sweet apple, bite into a savory chunk of roasted zucchini, and finish off a bowl of beet and arugula salad I am building abundant health.
How about you? What motivates you to want to eat more fruits and vegetables? If you’re reading this I’m guessing you’re already convinced of the MANY health benefits of eating fruits and vegetables. But what will motivate you to take action? This is an important question.
Your WHY will see you through when you want to eat fast food and chocolate chip cookies instead of fruits and vegetables.
Have you determined your motivation? What is your why?
Are you ready to take action and drastically increase your fresh fruit and vegetable intake in an intentional way for good health? If so, my friend, I’ve got a plan for you! It’s like a menu to choose the best way YOU can grow your fruit and vegetable intake each day.
Maybe 15-20 servings a day sounds impossible to you right now. No worries! I’m here to meet you where you’re at. Aim for a few more than what you’re getting now. Gradually build up your fruit and vegetable intake with committed and intentional action (see my plan below). Pretty soon you’ll reach your maximum goals too!
When you eat more servings of that live, technicolor-goodness, you’re nourishing and strengthening your body for better health. And you’re getting that much closer to your “why”.
Hey friend, you’ve got this! You can build abundant health by eating more fruits and vegetables. I’ll show you how I do it and you can adjust where you need to meet your goals. Are you ready to get started? I’ll take you through my day as I play the How-Many-Fruits-&-Vegetables -Can-I-Get-In-Me-Today game.
Hey Friend!
Getting maximum fruits and veggies each day is like a challenging game for me. I keep score and cheer myself on with each victory. I created a printable tally-sheet to keep me motivated and on track. You can get a printable copy of it below to help you keep track of your fruit and veggie intake and meet your goals too.
How I eat more fruits and vegetables every day.
My Game Plan:
Throughout the day, between tasks, work, and errands, I do any or all of the following possibilities. I make a game of seeing how many of these possibilities I can turn into reality. Every time I get some living goodness in my body I rejoice and keep track. At the end of the day I love to tally them all up and celebrate.
In order for this to work it does take some planning and preparation. The idea is to have all these options ready to quickly fix or grab during the day. Sometimes I’m awesome and have it all together. Other times I’m flying by the seat of my pants and improvising. In the Frequently Asked Questions section below I tell a bit about how I do the prep.
One thing I do that helps a lot is making several things at a time. For example, in the mornings before I start my work for the day, I’ll throw together a smoothie, juice the citrus, and steam my breakfast greens in one quick sweep. I try to get several things done at once with only one mess to clean up at a time.
Are you ready for the possibilities? Find what would work for you from the menu of options and up your fruit and vegetable intake at an intentional but no-stress pace. As you practice you’ll get better and you’ll see your ability to add more fruits and vegetables will increase over dedicated time. You can do it!
Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Juice
First thing in morning: I drink 8 oz of fresh fruit/ vegetable juice that I’ve pre-juiced and frozen ahead of time, then thawed overnight in the fridge. My current favorite is a carrot, ginger, and beet combination that’s this beautiful burgundy color. I don’t chug it – I take sips over about an hour while I’m busy with this or that. If I need to leave, I take it with me in a thermos cup to keep it cool. I also chew the juice every once and a while to activate enzymes. Here is a recipe for how to juice without a juicer. I learned here to drink my juice on an empty stomach (at least 2 hours after eating and 20 minutes before a meal). I use an old Omega juicer that works fine but when I can afford it I’ll get one of these.
That’s 5 servings.
Steamed Power Greens
Breakfast (sometime before noon): I steam 2 handfuls of leafy power greens (ruffles of kale, chard, spinach) and eat it with lots of butter and coconut oil; piles of emerald green in my bowl. It’s so yummy and satisfying. Sometimes I eat it with a fried egg with kimchi on top and sliced red tomato on the side if I’m especially hungry. Another great way to eat these greens is mixed in with a scrambled egg for another hearty breakfast.
That’s 2-4 servings.
Fresh Citrus Juice
To go with breakfast: I juice 3 grapefruits or a combination of grapefruit, orange, and lemon. I use this little citrus juicer and it’s been great. It’s super fast. The vitamin C in the citrus helps absorb the iron in the greens. A match made in heaven. You can also juice 3 lemons or 3 limes and add water and stevia or pure maple syrup to taste for a refreshing lemon or limeade. I particularly love the way it makes my hands smell after I juice grapefruit. Did you know that in aromatherapy grapefruit oil reduces stress, promotes joy, and has anti-bacterial and antimicrobial properties? So not only am I nourishing my insides with this coral-pink juice, I’m elevating my mood and protecting against pathogens. It’s a lovely way to start my day.
That’s 3 servings.
Smoothie
I make a smoothie to drink throughout the morning. Sometimes it takes all day. I keep it in a thermal cup so it’s icy all day long. I either make my favorite red smoothie made from berries, cherries, citrus and ginger, or my favorite green smoothie packed with parsley, cucumber, citrus, and ginger. It makes 30 oz. of pure goodness that I drink for hours.
That’s another 4 servings.
By this time it’s noon and I’ve already got 12 servings of fruits and vegetables in me before 12:00.
12 by 12:00! That’s not bad at all.
Then through the afternoon I do the following:
Big Salad or Soup
Eat a big crave-worthy salad or veggie-packed soup for lunch. Bowls full of arugula, beets, cucumber, avocado, and tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and syrupy vinegars or hearty soups full of broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, carrots, and peppers. Endless possibilities and combinations that I never tire of.
That’s 3- 4 servings.
Snack
Have a snack somewhere in the day of 1 fruit or vegetable, such as: fresh banana on the go, an apple with peanut butter for dipping, slices of cantaloup or watermelon, bell pepper spears or cucumber rounds dunked in hummus, or my latest favorite: sliced peaches with coconut cream. 1 serving
2 Veggies with Dinner
Eat 2 vegetables and/or fruit with my dinner. I love a tray of roasted veggies; it’s so fast, easy, and tasty. All you do is wash and chop vegetables into similar size chunks, toss with olive oil, and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Then in a parchment-lined pan broil or roast the vegetables until slightly charred on top and softened to your liking. Some of my favorite combinations are:
- zucchini with red, yellow, and orange peppers and onions
- cauliflower, broccoli, and onions
- sliced red cabbage, asparagus, zucchini
- brussel sprouts and carrots (these take longer to roast)
- mushrooms, zucchini, and peppers
That’s 2 servings.
Cultured Vegetables
Somewhere in the day, either on my egg or salad or with dinner, I have 1-2T cultured vegetables , such as salsa or kimchi. Because culturing multiplies the vitamins and minerals in vegetables, just 1-2 T. equals a serving. These condiments are packed with flavor and a powerful punch of nutrition.
1 serving.
Bonus Juice
I may choose to drink another 8 ounces vegetable juice later in the day for an additional 5 servings.
That’s it. That’s how I get in over 20 servings of fruits and vegetables a day for abundant health.
Here are some frequently asked questions:
What’s a serving?
My very unscientific way that I determine a serving is a whole piece of fruit or vegetable like an apple, orange, tomato, or lemon is one serving of that item. A big handful of greens is considered a serving. Every 8 ounces of pressed vegetable juice is 5 servings. A 30 oz. smoothie is 4 servings. When I juice grapefruits or oranges I consider a serving per grapefruit or orange I use. Just about anything else I consider a serving to be the size of my fist. [Update: this article gives some good guidelines for what a serving is.]
But don’t stress about it! The use of servings is for your information only. There’s no nutritionist to report to, or a serving-size-Nazi who’s going to call you out if your servings aren’t exact. You aren’t cheating if you estimate wrong.
Our purpose in keeping track of servings is to be intentional and motivated about eating more fruits and vegetables to build abundant health. There’s no prize or first place winner – except YOU when you do better each day at getting in more fruits and veggies.
Do you feel hungry or deprived focusing on fruits and vegetables?
No! I feel like I’m constantly eating yummy, satisfying foods and I rarely feel hungry. When I’m hungry I have so many options of beautiful fruits and veggies I’m never deprived. And I’m not rigid – if I want to eat something else I do! I just usually choose to eat fruits and vegetables first to fill up.
Sometimes I’m just too full and can’t get all my servings in. When that happens, I rejoice in those I did get in me that day. Dinner is usually a main meal (with grains, meats, legumes etc.) with the two side vegetables so my diet is really balanced.
Does so much fiber/ roughage upset your stomach?
Yes, at first, specifically the raw vegetable juice. It took me about a week of drinking 8 oz. a day for my stomach to get used to it. It was a gassy week until then! 🙂
If you find your digestion is bothered, try more cooked vegetables rather than raw at first. They’re easier to digest.
I also found raw greens in a smoothie other than parsley can be upsetting. This is one reason I choose to steam my greens rather than drink them in a smoothie. From what I understand, lightly steaming greens breaks down the fiber making them easier to digest and makes nutrients such as vitamin A, calcium, iron, and lycopene more available for the body. Besides, I think lightly steamed greens oozing with butter and coconut oil with salt and pepper are delicious.
Another suggestion is to gradually increase your servings of fruits and vegetables. If your stomach gives you grief, back up for a bit eating less until things settle, then keep adding slowly while your gut ecology catches up with your enthusiasm. Whatever you do, don’t STOP your efforts all together. Just pace yourself.
How do you have time for all that preparation?
Actually, fruits and vegetables are the original fast foods. It’s so easy to prepare a tray of vegetables and roast them, throw together a salad or even a soup, or to just eat them fresh from their natural packaging. The key I’ve found is to have a system and be organized and dedicated to making sure you have the foods on hand you need.
For me this means taking a day to shop and another day to prepare.
Shopping means hitting Costco, Sprouts Market, and my local fresh fruit stands in the late summer and fall.
My preparation day consists of a couple hours: juicing and freezing in pint jars, roasting a tray of vegetables to toss in salads and soups or eat as is, making fermented vegetables as needed, cooking whole grains like quinoa or brown rice for salads later in the week, or making a soup I can eat all week long for lunch.
I choose ready-to-eat greens like arugula or spring mix for my salads, and organic power greens in a bag.
I guess it’s a mindset. It’s important to me so I just know it’s something I’m going to do. And some days it doesn’t happen like I’d like it to. I run out of time and I compromise and make adjustments as needed. I figure some is always better than none.
Hey Friend, don’t be one of the statistics in those scary headlines. Instead, find hope in the truth that adding more fruits and vegetables to your daily diet really can change your life for the better. It will be worth every effort you make to get live, whole food into your body to build the healthiest version of yourself.
Make it a priority. Your good health is worth it. Every little change you make will bless your life and those you love as small changes create momentum towards powerful results.
This tracker can help! Grab it right HERE:
Hey Friend!
Grab your FREE printable Fruits & Veggie Tracker here!
I created this tracker to help me stay motivated and on track eating more fruits and vegetables each day. It’s really helped me and I hope it can help you too! You can grab it for FREE right here.
This printable tracker is my gift to you when you subscribe to receive inspirational notes from me in your inbox (don’t worry! I’ll only send great stuff and never send spam!). When you sign up you’ll have access to my private Gifts for You Collection here at my website where I keep the printable tracker and a whole lot of other awesome resources to help you live life more abundantly. It will be great to have you join our community!
Hey Friend!
Do you want to live life more abundantly?
You’re not alone. I’ve got great news for you. Watch the video for a virtual hug and words of encouragement from me. You’ve got this!
Yes! Please send the Abundance Toolkit.
Hey Friend, do you want more ABUNDANCE in your life? Start with the Abundance Toolkit.
The ABUNDANCE TOOLKIT can help you make the changes you want to live life more abundantly.
It’s my FREE gift to you. Just grab it here.
Yes! Please send the Abundance Toolkit to me.
The Abundant Toolkit is my gift to you when you sign up to receive inspirational notes from me in your inbox (don’t worry! I’ll only send great stuff and never send spam!). When you sign up you’ll have access to my private Gifts for You Collection here at my website where I keep the Abundance Toolkit and a whole lot of other awesome resources to help you live life more abundantly.
What’s in the Abundance Toolkit?
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13 page printable workbook.
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3 tools to help you identify and apply principles of abundance in your life right now.
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Questions to help you determine where you’re out of balance with abundance.
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Specific and personal actions you can take to live life more abundantly starting today.
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Read more in this Healthy Eating for Abundant Health series:
Easy Ways to Eat More Fruits & Vegetables Everyday
5 Quick and Easy Crave-Worthy Salads
5 Veggie-Packed Chowders That Will Make You Smile
How to Make My Favorite Red Smoothie
References:
- https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/wr/mm6645a1.htm?s_cid=mm6645a1_w&utm_source=STAT+Newsletters&utm_campaign=f26644060f-MR&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8cab1d7961-f26644060f-150444909
- https://www.livekindly.co/adults-fruit-veg-intake-disease/
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325459.php
- https://bodyecology.com/articles/10-vegetables-that-reduce-the-risk-of-chronic-disease/
- https://www.cheatsheet.com/health-fitness/surprising-health-benefits-fruits-vegetables.html/
- https://www.livescience.com/55407-eating-more-fruits-veggies-linked-with-life-satisfaction.html
