AskDrRachel.com

Getting Your Fruits and Veggies

By Rachel Franklin, M.D., “Your Family Doc”

OU Physicians Family Medicine

Holy cow!  At the same time that most of us were struggling to get our five servings of fruit and veggies every day, the guidelines have changed.  It’s now recommended that we get at least 9 servings (4 ½ cups) daily!  The guideline reflects what we have learned about the healthy effects of fruits and vegetables in our diets.  They provide essential antioxidants, help keep our arteries clean, and can even prevent cancer.  We also now know that pills (multivitamins, B-complexes, vitamins A, C, and E in particular) do not provide the same benefit as the whole foods in the produce section of the grocery store.

Now, you don’t need to go overboard – you don’t have to get 9 of each, that’s 9 total.  And I have a few tricks for all of us busy people:

• Salads.  Most prepared salads are made with more than 1 cup of vegetables.  The darker the leaf, the healthier it is for you (think spinach or mesclun instead of iceberg).  Get the dressing on the side or try vinegar in oil to keep the calories down.  Add lean beef or chicken (or soy or other legumes for vegetarians) and it’s a complete lunch with almost 3 servings!
• Fruit snacks.  These are prepackaged and available in the canned fruit section of the store.  If you’re afraid a whole fruit will go bad, buy the snacks and keep them in your desk for that 3:00 slump.  The natural sugars will perk you up, and you’ll get a serving.  Make sure they’re packed in water or juice instead of syrup.
• Vegetable and fruit juices.  And you thought I had warned you against these – what the heck am I thinking??  If you select those with no added sugar (my favorite is V8 Fusion or not-from-concentrate orange juice), you can get up to 2 servings per 8 oz glass for 100 calories or less.  And it’s a better sip than that second pot of coffee or the empty calories of soda.
• Make your own dinner.  Those who make their own dinners at home eat about half the calories they would eat at a restaurant.  Plus, you can easily prepare at least 2 more servings of fruit and vegetables – three if you include ½ cup of fresh berries in low-fat yogurt for dessert!

And that plan makes nine servings without thinking too hard.  Like I said about resolutions, do the best you can each day and try harder the next day.  By increasing your fruit and veggie intake, you’ll feel full longer, eat fewer calories overall and can even lose weight!

While produce can be expensive, if you were to compare it against the expensive take-out coffee you get every morning (you know the one I'm talking about!), the dinner you eat out a few times a week, or the cost of going to the doctor all of the time due to poor health, it’s a bargain. 

As always, I’m interested in any ideas you have for topics.  Please remember to email april-sandefer@ouhsc.edu or contact OU Physicians at 405-271-5067 if you have ideas you’d like to read about in this column.  Here’s to your good health!

Dr. Franklin is a board certified family medicine specialist. Her areas of special interest include preventive health and wellness and women’s and children’s health. Her advice has been featured in outlets including The Learning Channel, Parents Magazine and FitPregnancy. For an appointment with Dr. Franklin or any of the OU Physicians Family Medicine physicians, call 405-271-4311