Eating More Produce

[deductivemom]

I am counting down to TTC in about 11 months and have been trying to think of ways to prepare and get healthy in the meantime. Last week, I started trying to eat more produce.

Does anyone else feel like 5 servings a day is really a lot? Any tips for adding more without eating entire meals of just lettuce or bananas? What do you do for fruits/veggies in the winter? On a budget? How do you count servings?

Thanks! Tips and tricks would be appreciated; even strategies that nudge little ones into eating more would be appreciated

 

[Tigerlily01]

You can get more servings of fruits and veggies if you replace other things with them in your meals. When we cook, we try to use meat for flavor, rather than as the main event. For instance, in a stir fry, we would cook mostly vegetables, and have just a bit of meat thrown in. Same for soups. Look up recipes for vegetable soups, like butternut squash, split pea, minestrone, etc. If you don't care for veggies, try using strong seasonings or sauces at first, and then cut back as you get used to eating them. Dinner salads are great too, because you can use all different kinds of fruits or veggies, then throw a bit of grilled meat on top, and it tastes great.

I've started eating fresh fruit or veggies w/ hummus as snacks instead of chips or cookies, so you can get more servings that way. You can hide veggies in breads, or as a thickener in soups and sauces. You can also hide lots of veggies in spaghetti sauce, and most kids won't notice (especially if you also put meat in it). Fruit juice counts as a serving, too.

 

[Amalee]

I feel like I eat quite a bit of fruits and veg each day, but I'm sure I would benefit from more. One thing I've been doing lately is trying to make sure that my snack foods are healthy. Not that they have to be perfect, but well... better than they were in the past. I absolutely LOVE toast, and lately I've been eating whole grain toast topped with either avocado, tomatoes slices with olive oil and salt, or a little peanut butter with banana slices. Sure, it's not as healthy as carrot sticks, but they are all majorly satisfying, and it gives me a nice source of vitamins!

I really like tomatoes, avocados, bananas, and apples because they are all so easy. No prep work for any of them, they all taste best raw, and they are easy to toss in a bag without worrying about keeping it cold. I think making sure that you have healthy options that aren't going to require tons of work or a mess make a big difference throughout the day if you're trying to up your consumption

 

[Cntrygal]

I've been going the high protein/no carb/low sugar route for the past 10-12 weeks. Trying to loose the extra 30lbs I'm carrying (13lbs down!) before TTC #1. I do portion control and drink at least 48oz of water a day...but still have my diet dr.pepper every day.

Check out Walden Farm products. They have zero calories, zero fat, zero everything but a little sodium. They aren't quite the same as "normal" stuff, but totally worth it. I could right a post just on the Walden Farm products I use.


Protein shake with soy milk for breakfast during the week. 2 eggs scrambled or hard boiled on the weekends.

Salads are a no brainer, add meat and/or hard boiled eggs to get your protein. I substitute spaghetti squash for regular, brown hamburger or meatballs, and find a spaghetti sauce that is lowest in sugar.

Mashed cauliflower (season like you would regular mashed potatoes...the taste isn't the same but still good and texture is really similar) with chicken breast or pork chop.

Tuna with a small amount of mayo (or get Walden Farm) with onion and celery. Skip the bread and eat it with a fork.

I think some people are more sensitive to carbs and sugar and I've found I am one of them. I've tried counting calories with very little success. I don't count a thing with this. Just try to pump as much protein in me as possible, it really does help keep you full. This is not the easiest route, I'll be honest. Just tonight I was about in tears trying to figure out what the heck to eat! But it's nice to see the scale move. And I don't have that afternoon crash like I used too. The way I'm eating is based on a program called Ideal Protein. I didn't want to spend the money to sign up plus buy their food, so I'm going what I call the Walmart route. My MIL did the actual program and did really good if you've got the extra cash.

I'm not looking forward to eating this way once fall/winter hit. But I'll keep trudging along until the last of the weight is off. I do allow myself one splurge meal a week so I don't go completely off my rocker for carbs/sweets. So once I reach my goal weight I'll introduce more carbs/sweets and find a balance.

 

[Angelbaby_01]

I eat about 2 fuits a day (one in the morning as a snack and one in the afternoon) with the veg I either use stirfry or mixed veggies. Or I would use something like potato, butternut or pumpkin and another veg like peas, green beans, cauliflower, broccoli etc. I don't always have 5, but at least try for 3 or 4.