Viva Vitality: Eat More Vegetables and Fruit!
By Pat MacIntosh
March is Nutrition Month and Alberta Health Services is encouraging people to eat more vegetables and fruit. Vegetables and fruits are full of nutrients, antioxidants and fibre and eating them helps lower the risk of chronic diseases. But about 80 per cent of Albertans are still not eating enough of these nutrition powerhouses.
There are many reasons people do not get at least five servings of vegetables and fruits a day, including:
Cost. Food costs have gone up in the last few years. Canned, fresh, frozen, dried and fermented vegetables and fruits are all part of a balanced diet. Choose what reflects your taste, culture, budget, or lifestyle. To save money, choose what costs less at the time. Fresh produce costs less when in season such as berries, lettuce, and peppers in the summer or apples and squash in the fall. Frozen and canned options may cost less during the winter. As frozen and canned options can be stored a long time, you can take advantage of sale prices to stock up. When buying fresh vegetables and fruits, only buy what you will eat before they spoil to reduce your food waste.
Time. Many people do not have much time to prepare meals and snacks. To save time, wash, peel and cut up vegetables and fruits when you buy them. Store them in small bags or containers in the fridge, making them easy to grab for quick snacks and meals. Frozen and canned options can also be time savers as the prep has already been done for you. Fresh, ready to go options that save time include washed and bagged spinach, salad mixes, or broccoli florets.
Preference. When we are short on time or when we don’t really feel like cooking from scratch, we tend to look for ready to serve convenience foods. Although these are often higher in fat, salt and sugar, these more processed foods can also fit into a balanced diet. Add extra vegetables to your noodle or rice mixes, slice extra vegetables on top of frozen pizzas, or serve raw veggies on the side. Have frozen or canned fruit for dessert. Slice or add frozen fruit on top of your cereal, yogurt or frozen waffles.
You can also add extra vegetables to homemade soups, stews and casseroles. Try healthier cooking methods such as baking, roasting or stir-frying your vegetables. Enhance the flavour of your veggie packed meals by adding olive oil, lemon juice, flavoured vinegars, or herbs and spices.
More ideas for eating more vegetables and fruit can be found at: bit.ly/4gYcdAw
You can find our Nutrition Month calendar at: bit.ly/NM2025Calendar
Pat MacIntosh is a Registered Dietitian with Alberta Health Services, Nutrition Services.