“I don’t really care which fruits and vegetables you eat.”

Yup. Unless you have an allergy or intolerance, they’re all good. Yes, some have more of this vitamin or that mineral, some have more antioxidants, but we’re splitting hairs here. The best fruit or vegetable is the one you WILL eat. They have nothing until you eat them.

September is National Fruits & Veggies Month (#NFVM2024 & #haveaplant), but do we need…

 My fruit (& my treat!) for the day: 1/2 at breakfast, 1/2 in the afternoon or for dessert!

“A Fruit & Vegetable EVERY Day?”

No! Eat more. (I love it when I get to say that!) We need 1½ -2 cups of fruit and 2½ -3 cups of veggies DAILY. The CDC says only 1 in 10 people are getting enough, and men and women lag equally here. It means there’s some work to do, but it’s delicious work – these two food groups are treasure chests of flavor! At left is what I’ll eat for a day and I love it, but have whatever fruits you’ll eat. Mine tend to be seasonal. This is a summer selection.

What A Nutritionist Looks For In ANY Food?

A win-win: It tastes good and fills dietary gaps. Everyone grew up with different food experiences and has their own preferences. Maybe you didn’t grow up exposed to many fruits and vegetables. It’s OK. Just know these are two VERY necessary food groups that also have a ton of flavor. There’s no way you won’t find some that you like.

Factoid: 2,500+ varieties of APPLES are grown in the US! Try new varieties!

Everything counts! Whether those F & V are raw, roasted, canned, frozen, even dried, they count.  Eat the ones you like — daily. (Pro-tip: guys do seem to like roasted veggies and are willing to eat more of them prepared that way.)

Breaking Down Barriers

Here are ways to deal with common factors that often get in the way of eating more of this deliciousness:

• 

  Peel an apple? No need to! Photo: RobertoDavid for iStock

  Simplify prep: -If the skins are edible, EAT THEM! (After washing them!)

  Pro-tip timesaver: I haven’t peeled an apple or carrot in 30+ years. No need to & there’s good stuff in there!

  Roasting veggies is super-easy. (See below for how I do it to make clean-up super-easy, too.) Buying pre-cut fruits & veggies, or the same from the freezer case, are other easy options. 
• Budget buddies:
  • Orange peppers and endive are pricey. Think carrots and cabbage and onions.
  • Bags of smaller apples and oranges that don’t look “perfect” taste great. Those guys got me through tough times on a super-tight budget.
  • Shredded cabbage goes well  in quick-cook ramen noodles (cook in the water before adding the ramen), and carrots and onions roasted in the oven get caramelized and sweeter!
  • Make apples, oranges, and dried fruit standard backpack snacks to tide you/kids over. You’ll snack affordably & snack well.
  • ALWAYS have a can of garbanzos or kidney beans on hand. They count as veggies, are affordable, & are one of the most nutrient-dense foods.
• Start out smart: Make a fruit or veggie your first snack each day. Have a fruit and/or veggie at each meal and eat them at the start of the meal — when you’re the hungriest!
• Cut the competition: Make ready-to-eat F & V a priority… AND get the empty-calorie impulse foods off the counter. Keep one type of cookie, cracker, or chip – not an array.

Push All The Positives  

You or the kids don’t like many fruits and veggies?  Which ones DO taste BEST to you/them? Start right there. The goal is to fill in your dietary gaps. Do it deliciously, and you’ll do it forever. Score!

My No-Hassle, No-Mess Way To Roast Vegetables 

I don’t like greasy hands or cleaning dishes any more than anyone else. Still, roasting veggies does mean coating them with a little oil, so they roast and brown nicely, and get that caramelized flavor we all love. Here’s my go-to method:

• Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• Line a sheet pan with foil. To make clean-up easy, overlap one sheet over the other and fold it at the seam, so nothing leaks through.
• Cut the veggies to the size you want for eating and put them in a large plastic bag.
• Add EVOO but just drizzling, not drowning. Add in as many or as few herbs, spices, and flavors you like. Twist the top so it’s airtight.
• Rub the veggies so they’re evenly coated with the EVOO.
• Empty the bag onto the sheet pan and spread out evenly. Toss that bag in the garbage and rejoice that your hands didn’t get greasy!
• Roast until the desired doneness:
  • 10-20 minutes for softer veggies like zucchini,
  • 30-40 minutes for harder ones like carrots and butternut squash, depending on thickness), or a little before that, since they’ll still cook a bit out of the oven.

Cut-To-The-Chase Takeaway: Push The Positives  

You or the kids don’t like many fruits and veggies?  Start with ones you/they like BEST. Fill those dietary gaps, yes. Do it deliciously, and you’ll do it forever. Score! And every day: #haveaplant!

Featured photo: Lisovskaya for iStock