Fruits and vegetables are part of the food pyramid. They are very good sources of vitamins and minerals needed by the body. They are considered as protective foods because they keep illnesses away aside from other benefits such as making the eyes clear and bright, the skin rosy, the hair glossy, the gums, teeth and bones strong and healthy.
But what if you have a busy lifestyle? Can you still manage to include fruits and vegetables in your daily meal? How do you squeeze the recommended five servings of fruits and veggies into your fastfood lifestyle? It is not really hard. First, you must know how much a serving of a particular produce is. Besides, a serving of fruits and vegetables is surprisingly small. And produce is low in fat and almost always conveniently packaged – it is the original fastfood.
Remember, when you prepare fruits and vegetables, you can eliminate, or at lest significantly reduce, your exposure to pesticide residues. It is easy to do: Just remove the skins or outer levels, or wash unpeeled produce in a mixture of water and a very mild dishwashing liquid, recommended by food and health experts.
One Serving of: Quantity
-Juice (100 percent fruit or vegetable) 6 ounces
-Leafy greens, raw 1 cup
-Cut-up fruits or veggies, cooked ½ cup
-Beans, raw, cooked or canned ½ cup
-Dried fruit (raisin, dates, etc.) ¼ cup
-Fresh fruit (apple, banana, pear, etc.) 1 medium or 1 slice of big fruit
[...] HealthAim.com put an intriguing blog post on Getting Your Fruit-and-Veggie Serving | Health AimHere’s a quick excerptFruits and vegetables are part of the food pyramid. They are very good sources of vitamins and minerals needed by the body. They are considered as protective. [...]