Eat More Fruits and Vegetables: It’s Not as Difficult as You Think

You know fruits and vegetables are essential for good health and longevity. You've heard this message since you were a youngster and adults encouraged you to eat your green beans. 

Yet only one in 10 adults eat the minimum 5-A-Day recommended amounts of fruits (1.5 to 2 cups) and vegetables (2 to 3 cups) on any given day. 

Eating a diet abundant in plants can help reduce the risk of many leading causes of illnesses and deaths, like cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, and obesity. 

No matter what eating pattern you follow—keto, paleo, vegan, Mediterranean, or plant-forward—fruits and vegetables are at the foundation of the recommendations. Eating more produce is a great place to start when trying to improve your eating habits for aging well. 

Consider what you ate yesterday. How many servings of fruits and vegetables did you eat? For most of us, we could eat more. The 5-A-Day recommendation for good health is a baseline. Research continues to suggest that eating additional servings is even better for health. 

We realize this may be old news for some, but living well and flourishing after 50 requires going back to the basics, assessing where we're at, and modifying our lifestyles to align with the recommendations for healthful eating. This is especially important as our nutrition needs change as we age.

Behavior change can be hard, especially when it comes to what we eat. We understand. We live the challenges too. Eating patterns become habits. Habits can be difficult to recognize and modify. And, even if we make changes, we often find ourselves slipping back into our old ways. 

Instead of focusing on the statistics of why you should increase fruits and vegetables in your diet, let’s focus on how to do it so you can create healthier habits for good.  

Because no matter where you're at on your fruit and vegetable consumption journey, it's not too late to look for ways to add more servings into your day to reap health and well-being benefits. 

Let's get started. 

First, assess what is getting in your way of eating more fruits and vegetables.

It's difficult to make sustained changes without identifying what is actually getting in your way. Think about what is stopping you from eating fruits and vegetables. For many people, it's the taste. Growing up, you may have been served overcooked or canned vegetables that tasted bland. Or maybe you have a habit of reaching for convenience foods for meals and snacks. Depending on your climate or location, you may even lack access to fresh produce. Whatever your barriers, write them down. Think deeply about how they impact your food choices on a day-to-day basis. The good news is that it is always easier to add something health-promoting to your lifestyle than it is to take something away. 

Next, set a goal. 

Start small and be realistic. Trying to make too big of a change at one time can set you up to fail. If you're eating three servings of fruits and vegetables a day right now, can you add one more serving every day this week? If you're doing well on eating enough fruit but not veggies, set a goal to substitute a veggie for a snack each day. Write your plan down and post it somewhere you can see it every day. Use your goal to make a plan for the week. For example, you may have to modify your grocery list or adjust your weekly meal plan. 

Be adventurous.

Take a look at your plate. Are you eating a variety of fruits and vegetables every day or unintentionally limiting yourself to just a few? Different fruits and vegetables deliver specific nutrients and therefore promote various health benefits. Aim to choose a variety of dark leafy greens, red and orange veggies, cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, or cabbage), berries, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, and garlic daily.

If you're looking for additional ideas for adding fruits and vegetables to your day, join us for Rumblings' Fruit & Veggie Challenge. Together we're committing to increasing our intake, enhancing the variety of choices we make every day, being more adventurous in trying new types of fruits and vegetables, experimenting in how we prepare them, and supporting each other along the way. You can download tips to get started and follow Rumblings Media on Facebook and Instagram to be inspired. 

Track your progress.

Writing down your goals and progress helps you focus on overcoming your barriers, prioritize your intentions, stay motivated, and celebrate your successes. Putting specific goals in writing and then visualizing successfully achieving them is associated with a greater likelihood of reaching them. Plus, it helps you be consistent, stay on track, and recognize your progress. Writing down your goals and checking your progress is worth the effort. 

Be aware of how you feel.

It's essential to recognize how you feel when you eat more fruits and vegetables and how you feel when achieving your daily goals. Recognizing positive progress impacts your confidence in your ability to make a lasting change. How we feel often dictates what we do more than knowing something is healthy for us, so make sure you're intentionally focusing on how you feel. Write down how you feel physically from eating healthfully, and how you feel about achieving your goals and making progress. 

See yourself as a role model. 

It's not what we say, but most often what we do that influences the behaviors of others. Think of yourself as a plant-eating role model to your kids, nieces, nephews, grandkids, neighbors, girlfriends, or partner. Not only will this positively influence others' behaviors, but it will also make it easier for you to be consistent and sustain your fruit and vegetable eating patterns. For example, talking about the great taste of vegetables helps you motivate others to give them a try.

Believe in yourself!

Self-efficacy is your belief or confidence in your ability to succeed in a particular situation. It plays a role in how you feel about yourself and how you think and act. Believing in yourself will help you achieve your goals. Believe that you have the knowledge, skills, motivation, and willpower to overcome your barriers, be consistent, and sustain your new fruit and vegetable eating behaviors for the long term. Tracking your progress can provide an external motivator until you have established a solid internal sense of self-efficacy of changing your behaviors.

Celebrate your success. 

Changing behaviors is challenging, especially when adding additional fruits and vegetables to your eating plan. When you reach your goals, celebrate! Tell others about your achievements. You did the hard work and deserve the accolades. Your success will motivate others to join you in your new healthy habits!

Living well as you age will take work. It's worth it. Commit to eating more fruits and vegetables to flourish after 50. 

Join us in celebrating National Nutrition Month as we challenge ourselves to eat more fruits and vegetables, support one another, and get healthier as a community. Download our free Fruit & Veggie Challenge Tips and follow Rumblings Media on Facebook and Instagram for support, sharing successes, and discussing challenges. 

Together we RUMBLE!