Week One - FABULOUS YOU FALL CHALLENGE

[WEEK ONE – FRUITS + VEGETABLES]

This week, eat a minimum of 5 servings of vegetables and/or fruit daily, at least 3 of those 5 servings being vegetables. Shoot for at least one serving of fruit or vegetable at each meal.

1 serving veggies = 1 cup
1 small whole fruit = 1 serving
1 serving cubed/sliced fruit = ½ cup
1 serving berries = 1 cup

HELPFUL WAYS TO INCORPORATE FRUITS + VEGGIES DAILY :

Eat a fruit or vegetable at every meal
Eat a salad every day, which includes mixed leafy greens
Start your day with a Super Green Smoothie or Super Green Overnight Oats
Make meals where vegetables dominate, such as:
- Stir-Fry
- Vegetable Soups [recipes below]
- Hearty salads [recipes below, and check out my Creating a Superfood Salad How-To Guide]
- Have half your plate be veggies at dinner
- Try different cooking methods like sautéing, steaming, roasting, grilling, etc.
- Chop & prep fruits and veggies for the week

This week’s challenge may be difficult for many, as most people tend to skip fruits and veggies and opt for convenience foods, refined grains, sweets, etc. Fruits and vegetables are nature’s nutritional powerhouses. They provide a variety of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, antioxidants and plenty of high quality fiber. What does this mean for your health? This means that fruits and veggie consumption can lead to overall lower levels of chronic disease, decreased inflammation, weight loss, enhanced energy and mood, and an overall healthier body. The key here is to incorporate a variety of fruits and veggies. I tell many of my clients to “eat the rainbow” because each different color provides different health benefits. Also, try different cooking methods. If you’re used to eating the majority of your veggies steamed, try roasting, grilling or sautéing for a different flavor profile and texture. And if you’re bored of snacking on raw fruit, try baking a piece of fruit with cinnamon for a quick, easy and naturally sweet dessert. The point here is that it will be important to step outside of your comfort zone and start trying new things. You might even surprise yourself!

To take this challenge a step further, I encourage you to take into account the quality of your produce. Organic produce is grown without the use of pesticides and other harmful chemicals, meaning that it’s been grown the way nature intended. Check out the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen list from the The Environmental Working Group for a list of produce that is best purchased organic, versus produce that tends to be “clean” if purchased conventional. Become familiar with the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen list so you can ensure you’re feeding yourself and your family the healthiest and cleanest produce possible.