January 06th, 2018

One of my 2018 New Years Resolutions is this: Eat Ten Servings of Fruits and Vegetables Every Day.

      I recently started making myself very aware of my produce intake.  I consider myself a healthy eater.  I eat real, whole foods and make almost everything at home.   Some days were great. I would easily get the recommended amounts of F&V in, but some days were pitiful.  I'd end up getting only 2-3 servings total.  It is easier to do than you may realize.  Have a couple eggs on toast for breakfast, a quick peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch, and before you know it, the day is nearing the end and dinner and a snack is all you have left. 

      In my opinion, getting as many F&V in everyday that you can, is one of the most important things you can do for your health.  So it's time to make a change. I downloaded a F&V counter app on my phone and started incorporating a daily smoothie, and more focus with each meal on a hefty source of greens.  Admittedly, my pregnancy craving is fruit (Yay!), so my snacks include fresh whole fruits like apples and pears.  Below I have listed a weekly grocery list that will provide enough F&V for one person to eat ten servings a day.  This daily goal is broken down into 4 servings of fruit and 6 servings of vegetables.  One serving of fruit is 1/2 cup or one medium sized fruit and one serving of vegetable is 1 cup raw or 1/2 cup cooked.  I hope this helps inspire and ease your life into including more of these miracle rainbow foods!

Grocery List:

• 3 ½ cups berries (I get frozen)
• 7 bananas
• 5 apples
• 5 pears
• 4 oranges
• 7 cups chopped kale
• 7 cups spinach
• 7 cups broccoli (about two medium broccoli heads)
• 7 cups asparagus (8-10 stalks per cup or about ½ lb per cup. 3.5 pounds total)

How it looks for me on a daily basis:

Fruit:

• 1/2 c frozen fruit in smoothie (1 serving)
• 1 banana in smoothie (1 serving)
• 2 snacks of fresh fruit each day (2 servings)

4 servings total

Vegetables:

• 2 cups chopped kale/spinach in smoothie (2 servings)
• 4 cups raw greens or 2 cups cooked greens (spinach, kale, broccoli, asparagus) (4 servings)

6 servings total