What Every Dietitian Wants You To Know

Any of these sound familiar?

  • You have high cholesterol and want to lower it without medication.
  • You would like to lose a few pounds before summer arrives.
  • You have a family history of heart disease and your blood pressure numbers are starting to climb.
  • You have a growing family with children and want to feed them well to keep them healthy.
  • You would like to prevent cancer.
  • You have low energy and feel sluggish after mealtimes.
  • You would like to boost your immunity.

What can you do? One thing that can help any and all of these would be to start filling your meals with fruits and vegetables. Half your plate, to be exact. Why do I recommend boosting your fruits and vegetables at meals?

  • Fruits and vegetables are generally a great source of soluble fiber, which can help lower cholesterol. (Think anything with an edible peel)
  • Fruits and vegetables are low in calories and high in nutrients to help fill you up, not out.
  • Fruits and vegetables are generally great sources of potassium, a key nutrient in helping manage blood pressure.
  • Fruits and vegetables are one of the most underconsumed food categories. Only 8% of us eat the recommended amount of fruits and 6% eat the recommended amount of vegetables.
  • Fruits and vegetables and the natural compounds found within them are heavily researched in their role in cancer prevention. AICR’s Foods that Fight Cancer.
  • Fruits and vegetables that cover half of your plate at mealtimes provide you with nutrients that won’t make you feel tired.
  • Fruits and vegetables are great sources of vitamins A and C which help boost immunity.

Here is what I love! The Partnership for a Healthier America, Let’s Move!, USDA’s MyPlate and the nation’s top recipe creators from well-known food magazines have come together to pin tasty recipes to a special board on Pinterest. If you haven’t followed it, start now. It’s great for anyone looking for healthy meals that meet the MyPlate balance.

My hope through all these posts during National Nutrition Month is to have inspired you in some way. Yesterday, I announced the United States of MyPlates Challenge and I would love to have you join in! We will be MyPlating it across America with balanced, family friendly meals. I can’t wait to get started next week.

State of the Plate Report, 2010, Produce for Better Health Foundation

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