One of the hardest parts of making nutritional lifestyle changes is adapting to the new additions being added to your diet. People often ask their Rochester chiropractor “how do I incorporate healthier foods into my existing diet?” The answer is always something people tend to not like to hear - “try adding more fruits and vegetables to your meals”. What is it about these foods that makes them healthier but also so difficult to incorporate into your diet? Let’s talk about fruits and vegetables, their importance to your diet, and how you can start a slower process to incorporate more of these foods into your diet.
Fruits and vegetables are important for your diet because they work to keep the digestive system healthy. Both fruits and vegetables are typically high in fiber, the indigestible parts of food. While these parts of food don’t have nutritional value, they are very important in maintaining your health. Fiber supports the digestive tract in two ways: feeding the healthy bacteria in your gut and pushing food forward through the system. Healthy fiber intake keeps you regular and reduces bloating.
At a minimum, you want to be getting at least 5 servings of fruit and vegetables each day, but your goal should be to get 7 to 9 servings. One problem people often have is not knowing how much a serving size truly is. To be precise, one serving is 80 grams when uncooked. To make things easier, one serving size is roughly the same size as your closed fist. One apple or one banana that can fit in your hand is one serving.
A good way to slowly increase intake is to break down diet changes into different weeks. Here is an example of a good breakdown:
Week 1:
Try to incorporate one fist full of fruits or vegetables at each meal (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). This would only be 3 servings a day but it is a great base to start with if you typically aren’t getting any servings at all.
Week 2:
Look into learning what vegetable snacks you enjoy that can be good to quickly grab and snack on throughout the week. Some common examples would include celery and peanut butter, carrots and ranch, bell peppers and hummus, or making some kind of smoothie.
Week 3:
Learn how to make one or two meals that are packed full of vegetables. Easy meals to learn would include a stirfry, veggie omelet, or some kind of vegetable soup.
In just three weeks you will have set yourself up with a solid foundation to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet. If you are interested in more information on fruits and vegetables or are just looking for some help making this type of plan for yourself, schedule an appointment with your Rochester chiropractor. At Rush-Henrietta Family Chiropractic, your chiropractor in Rochester has helped many people make a plan to improve their diets and meet many of their nutritional goals. Schedule a free consultation today.
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