Meeting my 3-5 Challenge

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One of my priorities is to stay healthy for as long as possible and help my husband do the same. Toward this end I’m working to develop the habit of eating 3-5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day, as recommended by nutrition experts. 

I must confess that, for too many years, our eating habits resembled those of a rebellious 10-year-old. (Vegetables are gross! Give me ice cream!)

Add to that, the challenge of finding veggies my husband and I can both stand. We each have veggies we like and veggies we loathe. Problem is, the ones I like are too often on his “loathe list” and vice versa.

Fortunately, I’ve discovered all kinds of relatively painless ways to sneak more fruits and vegetables past our lips:

  • Add a glass of juice or a small bowl of fresh fruit to our breakfast (one fruit serving).
  • Add a small salad to other meals (one or two veggie/fruit servings, depending on the salad ingredients).
  • Turn a ho-hum sandwich into a Dagwood by piling on shredded lettuce, tomato slices and thinly sliced purple onion (one veggie serving).
  • Cook up enough vegetables for each meal to ensure leftovers. This means I can create a veggie plate from time to time (several veggie servings in one sitting!).
  • Add vegetables like spinach, broccoli or mushrooms to pasta dishes such as lasagna or mac and cheese (one veggie serving).
  • Munch on raw vegetables rather than potato chips. Baby carrots and celery sticks dipped in hummus make a great snack when I have that irresistible urge to nibble, and I usually consume enough of them to equal at least one vegetable serving.
  • Add cut-up fresh fruit and a couple spoonfuls of granola to a bowl of fat-free plain yogurt for another healthy snack (one fruit serving).
  • Replace my afternoon soda with an 8-ounce glass of V-8 juice (two veggie servings!).
  • Throw chunks of frozen fruit and yogurt into a blender – adding some Splenda if necessary – for a dessert that looks and tastes like soft-serve ice cream (one fruit serving, plus a bit of protein).
  • Order a la carte at restaurants. Although restaurant meals tend to include only one vegetable, I can often order a second one on the side for a small “upcharge.” 
  • Ask for substitutions, if this is allowed. When I mention my dietary restrictions, I can usually persuade food servers to replace fries or chips with a serving of coleslaw, fresh fruit or no-sugar-added applesauce (one fruit or veggie serving). 
  • Bring healthy snacks to gatherings. I’ve found that bringing a bountiful veggie platter with dip gives me something to nibble on instead of the fat and sugar-laden hors d’oeuvres usually on offer. This helps me add an extra veggie serving to my daily quota as well.

For more ideas and recipes, see the new “Recipes” page I’ve created. Link HERE.

23 thoughts on “Meeting my 3-5 Challenge”

  1. Pingback: Adding and subtracting for Lent | Seriously Seeking Answers

  3. (Also, I’m replying here to your comment about Bible Gateway on my recent post because I had to take it down due to putting up an unintentional duplicate. My reply: Yes! I’m so grateful for people that work so hard to provide us free, rich resources like that!)

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  7. Hey, when you’ve reached your goal, here’s the next challenge…
    When my husband and I were driving to Florida one year, I was reading an article in the AARP magazine called “100 ways to add years to your life” or something like that. Most of the tips were things we were already doing, but one statement was that “People who eat ten or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day live longer than those who don’t.” Instead of the typical response – “maybe it just SEEMS longer 😉 – I declared “CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!” While in Florida I made multiple trips to the farmer’s market and piled on the fruits and veggies at every meal. We usually didn’t quite hit 10, but sometimes we did. For people who find veggies boring, try nacho cheese on steamed vegetables like broccoli, potatoes, or cauliflower rice instead of butter. It tastes more exciting and has fewer calories. Raw veggies dipped in light ranch dressing are great snacks, too. I used to serve them at the after-school Bible study, and they’d disappear in minutes! (You haven’t lived until you’ve seen two seventh grade boys fighting over the last piece of broccoli.)

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