How to Find Sneaky Ways to Get Five a Day

As disease-fighting powerhouses, fruits and vegetables are clearly an important component of the food pyramid. The challenge, however, is working five or more fruits and vegetables into our daily diet when fast food and junk food vie for our attention. Here are some ways to make the prospect more palatable--literally.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Soup it up. When the temps dip, make soup a supper staple. With lycopene-rich tomatoes as a base, add a colorful variety of other vegetables to make it a simple, yet nutritious, dish. In the summer, gazpacho is a cool way to sneak in vegetables.
2. Create veggie variations of favorite foods. Make a vegetable pizza by adding sliced tomatoes, bits of broccoli or spinach and diced onions. You’ll be creating a much healthier yet still tasty version of takeout pizza. You can also get more fiber into your diet by adding beans to burritos.
3. Whip up a tasty smoothie. Smoothies are sure to please even the pickiest of eaters as they taste great, are naturally sweet and are chock-full of antioxidants. Consider a blueberry, strawberry-banana or peach smoothie. In addition to the fruit, you’ll just need some low-fat milk or yogurt. Of course, fruit and vegetable juices are good choices too. Make sure, though, that your fruit juice is 100-percent juice with no added sugar.
4. Make salad a regular side at the dinner table. Opt for darker lettuces or spinach leaves as they are more nutritious. Get your kids involved in making the salad. They may be more likely to eat it if they’ve had a part in the preparation.
5. Trade the cookie jar for the fruit bowl. Have a freshly stocked bowl of fruit available in the kitchen so you and your family will be less tempted to reach for sweets or other junk food. You may also want to fill up snack bags with dried fruit, baby carrots, and raisins so they’re on hand when your kids get home from school.
6. Top desserts with fresh fruit. If you’re going to have dessert, you might feel a little less guilty if you pile on luscious fruits such as strawberries, blueberries or pineapple. When baking, add grated carrots or zucchini to quick breads for a sweet and delicious way to help get your five a day.