Fruits and vegetables are our protection foods. They are high in vitamins and minerals. To keep it simple, you can think of your "protection foods" being grouped into three categories. The first is those high in Vitamin A. This includes dark green, leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, and chard and yellow and orange fruits and vegetables like cantaloupe, carrots, and squash. The second group are those high in Vitamin C. This category contains many choices such as oranges, strawberries, tomatoes, and watermelon. The third group is not high in either Vitamin A or Vitamin C, but contains many other important vitamins and minerals. This is a pretty big category and includes things like bananas, okra, eggplant, green beans, and avocados. Every day you should eat at least one food from each category.
If you struggle eating your vegetables or getting your family members to eat them, try offering them as a snack. When you get home from work or your kids get home from school, hunger often strikes hard. Take advantage of this. Eat a vegetable snack first, and then if still hungry have something else. Some great post-work/after-school snacks are green smoothies, broccoli with cheese, or carrot and celery sticks. A small vegetable steamer can be filled with a handful of frozen veggies and a little water, thrown in the microwave for a few minutes, and ready before you know it.
If given the choice, pick in-season, local, and organic produce. This is not always a choice, but do your best. Oftentimes frozen vegetables are a better choice than the "fresh" produce. Frozen foods are typically picked and flash frozen immediately after being picked - sealing in many of the nutrients our "fresh" produce are devoid in after making a long trip to our supermarket aboard a semi truck, boat, and/or airplane. Canned vegetables are okay. Just eat those vegetables however you can get them. If you don't, you will get sick very easily and may get serious diseases.
If you struggle eating your vegetables or getting your family members to eat them, try offering them as a snack. When you get home from work or your kids get home from school, hunger often strikes hard. Take advantage of this. Eat a vegetable snack first, and then if still hungry have something else. Some great post-work/after-school snacks are green smoothies, broccoli with cheese, or carrot and celery sticks. A small vegetable steamer can be filled with a handful of frozen veggies and a little water, thrown in the microwave for a few minutes, and ready before you know it.
If given the choice, pick in-season, local, and organic produce. This is not always a choice, but do your best. Oftentimes frozen vegetables are a better choice than the "fresh" produce. Frozen foods are typically picked and flash frozen immediately after being picked - sealing in many of the nutrients our "fresh" produce are devoid in after making a long trip to our supermarket aboard a semi truck, boat, and/or airplane. Canned vegetables are okay. Just eat those vegetables however you can get them. If you don't, you will get sick very easily and may get serious diseases.
