10 Tips for a Healthier Plate

Eat Better with These Quick Tips

March is National Nutrition Month. And, even though eating right helps us maintain a healthy waistline and prevents many serious health concerns, it can be a struggle to get your daily servings of fruit and vegetables.

At every meal, try to fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables. Your risk for developing heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and some cancers can decrease. Try some of the tips below to increase your fruits and veggies today.

10 Ways to Eat More Fruits and Veggies

• Try meat dishes that incorporate fruit, such as chicken with apricots or mangoes.
• Add fruit like pineapple or peaches to kabobs as part of a barbecue meal.
• Add frozen vegetables such as broccoli, peas and carrots to soups, stews and stir fry.
• Slice bananas, canned peaches or frozen berries on cereal, or add to yogurt.
• Add a variety of vegetables to pizza like peppers, onions and tomatoes.
• Instead of eating French fries, try sweet potato.
• Enjoy baked chips with salsa.
• Add lettuce, tomatoes and other vegetables to your sandwich and leave off the cheese.
• Frozen juice bars (100 percent juice) make healthy alternatives to high-fat snacks.
• Bring a colorful fruit or veggie platter to your next get together—include bright red peppers, purple grapes, green apples or oranges.
• Layer zucchini slices, chopped spinach or cooked carrots into lasagna.
• Put your fruits and vegetables up front in your refrigerator where you’ll see them.

To avoid future health concerns, adopt a healthy diet today. Benjamin Franklin said it best, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”