Easy ways to eat more produce

Small changes add up to a healthier, more energetic you

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning. This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is about little tweaks you can make to
achieve that common New Year's goal of healthier eating. Now,
I know that the exact definition of a healthy diet

(00:26):
is not settled science. If you want to see the
sparks fly between the low card people and the whole
grain people, try asking whether eating something like keenwa is
a great idea or not. But most people would benefit
from eating more produce. Fruits and vegetables tend to have
a lot of water and fiber and nutrients, and when

(00:47):
our stomachs are filled with these things, there's less room
for stuff that's more questionable. So over the past few months,
I've been trying to get myself up to the five
to nine servings per day that the U s d
A recommend. And this seems like a lot of fruit
and veggies, but it hasn't felt too difficult. Some of
my strategies might be helpful for other people too. My

(01:10):
first tweak always eating a serving of fruit or veggies
at breakfast. Since I'm generally cooking at home, I mix mushrooms, peppers,
or spinach into my eggs. But fruit is more convenient
for people on the go. Grab an apple to eat
with your coffee. Lots of coffee shops sell bananas right
next to the register. You can grab one and add

(01:33):
a serving with close to zero effort. Once you've started
doing that, double down by adding one produce based snack
to your repertoire daily. If you're in an office, you
could bring a pack of baby carrots or cut up celery,
or there's little snack sized peppers or cucumbers and hummus
for a mid afternoon pick me up. I put a

(01:53):
fruit bowl on the island in the kitchen next to
my home office. Now I see apples every time I
walk in there, so I tend to grab one and
the peanut butter when I'm hungry, or maybe one of
those little oranges that make for very tasty snacks. Next,
take yourself to the master's level with this fruit. For dessert,

(02:15):
frozen bananas and strawberries make a great smoothie when blended together.
Mangoes and blueberries too. I snack on frozen grapes, which
are quite tasty, or combine sliced bananas with chocolate chips.
Pineapples are sweet enough to eat on their own. Of course,
to eat lots of produce, you need to have lots
of produce accessible, and in the past I've bought pineapples

(02:38):
and then watched them rot on the counter because chopping
them up seems like a lot of work. Then I
realized that grocery stores sell pre cut produce. Yes, it's
more expensive, but in the grand scheme of things, it's
probably better to pay five dollars for something you'll eat
than three dollars or something you'll throw out. We now

(02:58):
generally have packages of cut up fruit sitting in the fridge.
Another great hack frozen veggies. With these in the freezer,
a stir fried dinner with tons of produce is as
easy as cutting up and sauteing a protein. If you
don't have frozen veggies, well, then you might come home
from work, decide there's nothing to eat, and order pizza
or take out that doesn't involve a lot of produce.

(03:22):
In general, frozen veggies can be thrown into various convenience
foods to make them modestly more healthy. Last night, for instance,
I added a serving of frozen peas to some soup. Now.
I know that every January many people resolve to avoid
unhealthy foods. The problem with this is that it sounds

(03:42):
like it's going to require a lot of willpower and
isn't much fun. But adding something to a diet seems
relatively indulgent, and I'm all in favor of solutions that
sound easy. If you've managed to add more fruits and
veggies to your diet, I'd love to hear how. You
can email me at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart

(04:03):
media dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks
for listening, and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,
I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

(04:23):
me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod.
That's b the number four, then Breakfast p o D.
You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
podcast at i heeart media dot com. That Before Breakfast
is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,
I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is

(04:51):
a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from
my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app Apple
Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite chips M