20 Ways to Get More Fruits and Vegetables in Your Diet

March is National Nutrition Month, so let’s gear up and get more greens in that diet! Here’s 20 ways you can get more fruits and vegetables into your meals.

1) Go crazy with pizza toppings. Try broccoli, spinach, green peppers, mushrooms and zucchini.

2) Mix up a breakfast smoothie made with almond milk, frozen strawberries and a banana.

3) Make a veggie wrap with roasted vegetables and cheese in a whole-wheat tortilla.

4) Try crunchy vegetables with hummus instead of chips and dip.

5) Grill colorful vegetable kabobs packed with tomatoes, green and red bell peppers, onions and mushroom.

6) Add color to salads with baby carrots, grape tomatoes, spinach leaves or mandarin oranges.

7) Keep cut vegetables handy for mid-afternoon snacks, side dishes, lunch box additions or a quick nibble while waiting for dinner.

8) Place colorful fruit where everyone can easily grab something for a snack on the go. For example: keep a bowl of fresh, just ripe whole fruit in the center of your kitchen or dining table.

9) Get saucy with fruit. Puree apples, berries, peaches or pears in a blender for a thick, sweet sauce on grilled or broiled seafood or poultry, or on pancakes, French toast or waffles.

10) Stuff an omelet with vegetables. Turn any omelet into a hearty meal with broccoli, squash, carrots, peppers, tomatoes or onions with low-fat sharp cheddar cheese.

11) “Sandwich” in fruits and vegetables. Add pizzazz to sandwiches with sliced pineapple, apple, peppers, cucumber and tomato as fillings.

12) Wake up to fruit. Make a habit of adding fruit to your morning oatmeal, ready-to-eat cereal, yogurt or toaster waffle.

13) Top a baked potato with beans and salsa or broccoli and low-fat cheese.

14) Microwave a cup of vegetable soup as a snack or with a sandwich for lunch.

15) Add grated, shredded or chopped vegetables such as zucchini, spinach and carrots to lasagna, meat loaf, mashed potatoes, pasta sauce and rice dishes.

16) Make fruit your dessert: Slice a banana lengthwise and top with a scoop of low-fat frozen yogurt. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of chopped nuts.

17) Stock your freezer with frozen vegetables to steam or stir-fry for a quick side dish.

18) Make your main dish a salad of dark, leafy greens and other colorful vegetables. Add chickpeas or edamame (fresh soybeans). Top with low-fat dressing.

19) Fruit on the grill: Make kabobs with pineapple, peaches and banana. Grill on low heat until fruit is hot and slightly golden.

20) Dip: Whole wheat pita wedges in hummus, baked tortilla chips in salsa, strawberries or apple slices in low-fat yogurt, or graham crackers in applesauce.

Taken from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics at www.eatright.org