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TOPIC:
"Are
You Getting Your Five a Day?"
Do you know that the most important element of any healthy eating plan includes making sure
you eat five servings of fruit and vegetables every day?
I'm sure you've heard this before what with all the research out there proving that eating five fruits and vegetables every day has very real health benefits, such as helping to prevent heart disease and some forms of cancer.
The Department of Health has been putting some effort into driving the health benefits home to consumers and even introduced a new 5-a-day logo initiative in the spring of 2003.
Sadly, I doubt this has done much to change the eating habits of the general populace or improve previous research statistics that showed only 1 in 7 of us actually achieve the 5-a-day fruit and vegetable quota.
Why is this 5-a-day quota, even in the face of knowing how much healthier we would all be, so difficult for most to achieve?
What stops YOU from getting your 5-a-day?
Is it lack of time to do the healthy shopping?
Healthy eating doesn't mean you can't make use of some "convenience" foods, such as canned, frozen and juiced fruit and vegetables. These sorts of convenience items are just as nutritious and you won't have to spend time (if you don't have it) to stock up every few days for fresh fruits and vegetables.
Is it too expensive to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables every day?
If fruits and vegetables have not been front and center in your shopping cart, you will be pleasantly surprised at how eating healthier is also better for your budget.
Fruit and vegetables are surprisingly cheap (unless you choose exotic imports). For instance, an average banana or apple costs less than most chocolate bars while providing way more in nourishment for far less calories.
When you choose fruits and vegetables that are in season you'll find them not only inexpensive but also more
flavorful and nutritious than those that must be picked before they are really ripe in order to be imported from far away.
Is it because you don't like fruit and vegetables?
If you are one of those who hated all fruit and vegetables as a child, you need to remember two
things...
(1) tastes change considerably as you age and what you disliked in your youth you may now find quite agreeable; and
(2) with such a huge variety of fruits and vegetables to choose from, it's next to impossible that you could dislike them all. Start a new mission in
life...taste test a new or different fruit and vegetable each week until you find the ones you like. I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Is it confusion over what counts toward your 5-a-day?
This is
easy...if the fruit or vegetable is processed with added sugar, fat and salt, this does not qualify as one serving.
Work your way up slowly to your 5-a-day quota because a sudden change could prove to be an uncomfortable experience (bloating and gas).
Thinking about what you're eating and building up gradually to your 5-a-day fruit and vegetable quota until it becomes your daily habit, will certainly make a big improvement to your overall health.
I hope you've enjoyed this week's "Simple Health Secret" and remember your 5-a-day so you can live a long and healthy life naturally.
Thank you for enjoying this simple health
"secret", compliments of SolvingTheHealthPuzzle.com
where you'll learn simple "secrets" every week about how to live a healthier
and more toxic-free life.
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