Easy Ways to Eat 5 Fruits and Vegetables Each Day

By Laura Bofinger, Guest Writer

"Eat your fruits and vegetables." We've heard it all of our lives. If only it were so simple.Our bodies crave fruits and vegetables more than just about any other food because we tend to get far fewer of them than we need. We often think we'd survive just fine on 2-3 servings a day – or less. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the USDA both recommend at least 5 servings per day! What you’re missing could be the difference between just surviving and all out thriving.

With just a little thought and a tiny bit of effort in snack preparation, you can make these nutritious foods more convenient and accessible.

Tips and Tricks

Add fruit to your cereal, oatmeal, waffles or pancakes at breakfast.

Create your own yogurt flavors with plain yogurt and different combinations of fresh fruit.

Snack on raw vegetables or fruits instead of chips or pretzels. Keep sugar snap peas, raisins or carrot sticks in your car, your office or your backpack.

Use chunky salsa instead of thick, creamy snack dips.

Drink 100% juice instead of addictive coffee, tea, or soda.

Going out to lunch? Take a trip to the grocery salad bar. Use lots of dark green leaves and other vegetables instead of piling on all of the extras like eggs, bacon and cheese.

Add frozen veggies to any pasta dish. It's an easy way to get in another serving of the good stuff.

Keep fruits and vegetables in line of sight. Grapes, oranges, bananas, and apples make a colorful bowl arrangement on the table. If you see them, you will eat them.

Dried fruit is just as portable as potato chips -- and less messy. It tastes especially good when added to basic trail mix.

When cooking vegetables, makes 2-3 times more than you need and immdiately store the extra away for tomorrow. It'll save you time later on.

Add your own beans and vegetables (tomatoes, spinach, peppers, cabbage) to canned and quick-serve soups.

If you must have pizza, load on extra veggies and pineapple instead of fatty meats and extra cheese.

Try berries, melons or dates for a naturally sweet dessert rather than the usual candy bar, cookie, or ice cream sandwich.

Frozen fruit and veggies are nearly as healthy as the fresh stuff, and only take minutes to prepare.

Combine fruit with your main meal courses. Raisins, apples and tangerine slices add sweet, crunchy variety to a salad. Apples complement pork, pineapple is great with fish, and orange slices are perfect with chicken.

Besides being packed full of nutrients, fruits and vegetables can also be quite filling. They may even ward off any empty calorie snacking that might follow! Don’t be discouraged by the recommended 5 servings a day. The guide below shows that one serving is less than what you might think.

One serving equals:
- 1 medium piece of fruit
- 1/2 cup fruit (raw, canned, or frozen)
- 1/2 cup cooked vegetables (canned or frozen)
- 1 cup raw vegetables
- 1/4 cup dried fruit
- 4-6 oz. of 100% juice (serving size depends on the type of juice)
- 1/2 cup cooked peas or beans

Learn the Fitness Class Lingo - Read Up Before You Work Out

By Jen Mueller, Certified Personal Trainer

When you think about “fitness classes,” what images come to mind? Do you picture skinny people (leg warmers included) jumping around and kicking their legs to loud music? Although that might have been the case 10 or 20 years ago, the latest trends in classes focus on the mind-body experience, and helping people of all ability levels.

If you considered taking fitness classes at your gym, you probably picked up the schedule, only to find a list of unfamiliar and confusing classes. Spinning? BOSU? What does it all mean and how do you decide which class is right for you? Here’s a guide to some of the most popular classes and how you might benefit from them.

Spinning/Group Cycling Spinning is an intense cardio workout on a specially designed stationary bike. A certified instructor leads the class, indicating when to adjust your speed and resistance level (making it easier or harder to pedal). Spinning classes are typically set to music and use visualization techniques to enhance the experience.

What are the benefits? This class allows you go at your own pace, and set your own resistance level. There are no complicated moves to learn, so regardless of how fit, flexible, or coordinated you are, you can get a great workout. Cycling is also a low-impact exercise, which is much easier on your joints than other activities such as step aerobics or running.

BOSU Balance Training
The BOSU looks like a Swiss ball cut in half. It is an inflated rubber dome on a flat, round platform. BOSU actually stands for “BOth Sides Up,” meaning that the “ball” itself can be placed on the ground with either the flat or rounded side up. A BOSU class can include aerobic and strength training routines, flexibility exercises, and balance training. Familiar exercises like leg raises, crunches, and push-ups are performed on the BOSU—a surface that is constantly changing, forcing you to maintain your center of gravity. This makes the exercises more difficult.

What are the benefits? BOSU training helps establish and reinforce balance, stability, and core strength, and can be used for a wide variety of exercises. It is safer than a Swiss ball in that you are less likely to roll off, but it also makes workouts more challenging. It can add variety to your workout, mixing things up your traditional routine.

Circuit Training
This class takes the participant through a series of exercise stations (which could also include strength training), with relatively brief rest intervals between each station. The purpose is to keep the heart rate elevated near the aerobic level without dropping off.

What are the benefits? Circuit training is a complete workout—both cardio and strength training—which saves time. Since the program is fast-paced and offers variety, it can be more interesting than a typical class that focuses on only one aspect (cardio or strength). Exercisers of all fitness levels can enjoy this class, because you can work at your own pace and resistance level.

Functional Fitness
Although it’s important to have a strong heart and muscles, many people are more concerned with being able to complete activities of daily living (transporting groceries to and from the car or lifting a heavy bag off of the top shelf, for example). Functional fitness focuses on core training (abs, hips, lower back), balance exercises, and strength work. It involves a lot of stretching, twisting, and bending motions to mimic everyday activities.

What are the benefits? This class has very practical applications in daily life. For example, suppose you’ve been doing squats at the gym and feel like you’re getting stronger. Then one day you squat down to pick up a heavy garbage can and throw your back out for the next week. What happened? Although your squatting muscles might be strong, the other muscles used to pick up the can might not be. Functional fitness teaches isolated muscles to work together. It can also help someone remain independent and injury-free.

Mind-Body Classes Classes like yoga, Pilates and tai chi are now the norm instead of the exception. The great thing about these classes is that participants vary widely in age, fitness level, and body type. These classes improve flexibility and strength, while also helping to relieve stress and promote relaxation.

Don’t be afraid to try something different! There are a wide variety of classes out there to cater to your needs. You could end up finding an enjoyable activity that helps you reach your goals at the same time!