The Eat More Fruits and Veggies Challenge! (revisited!)
ByI hear from so many of you that you want to eat healthier. You want to start making positive changes for yourself and for your family. You want to feel better. You want to have more energy. You want to help your families make good healthy choices.
But you don’t know where to start.
Let me first encourage you by saying that if you WANT to eat healthier…you’ve already taken the first step. Really. Having the desire to eat better and feed your family better is so great!
You wanna know what I think is one of the EASIEST first steps to take when it comes to becoming healthier? Eat more fruits and veggies.
ANYONE can do that! And it’s absolutely painless. Seriously, eating a fresh strawberry doesn’t hurt at all. You can do it!
Take the Eat More Fruits and Veggies Challenge with me!
I feed my family a pretty good, healthy diet…and yet I’ve been feeling lately like we should be getting more fruits and veggies into our bodies. I’m starting this challenge for myself…and hoping that you’ll jump in too!
About a year ago, I held a challenge similar to this one and found it to be SO HELPFUL knowing that others out there were joining me. It’s a great thing to know that others are working toward the same goals you are!
Here are a few details you might be wondering about:
- It is recommended that we all eat at least five servings of fruits and veggies each day. I plan to try for five to eight servings each day (because the more the better, right?).
- If you are used to eating very few fruits and veggies during the day, just shoot for any number that is bigger than what you are currently eating. For instance, if you’ve been only eating one serving a day, go for three. (Or more of course…I’m just suggesting that you set a reasonable goal for yourself and your family!)
- How big is a serving size? Not as big as you think!! Read more about that here!
- If you already feel like you eat plenty of fruits and veggies…take the challenge anyway and work on expanding your fruit and veggie variety!
For the next several weeks, I’ll write posts filled with lots of fruits and veggie information, recipes and encouragement. Sometime within the next couple of weeks, I’ll put up a Mr. Linky for all of us to share how we’re doing with the challenge…and to share our favorite fruits and veggies recipes. (I’ll give you fair warning about when that will happen so you can plan ahead!)
Jump in with us and take this challenge! Can’t you just taste it? Fresh pineapple…yummy veggie stir fry…strawberries and cream…grilled veggie kabobs…juicy peaches…
Will You Take this
Challenge with me?!
i have been thinking about this over the last week – we’re in!
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I am definitely jumping in on this one! I am going to start with 4. Really we only eat a veggie a day and sometimes one fruit. Usually just with dinner. I think it is a reasonable goal for me to get started. What an awesome place to start in eating healthier. Not only do I need to eat more of this type of food but I want my husband and kids to do it too! Thank you!
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I’m jumping in on this one, Laura. I’ve been working on trying to eat more healthily lately. I’m glad to see this. :)
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We’ll definitely join. We’re hosting A Slew of Summer Salads Carnival that will be open all summer for people to link their favorite salad recipes. We’re trying to eat a main daish salad every day, so we need lots of ideas.
We’d love for you, and all your readers to join in!
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Let’s do it to it:) My first tomatoes of the season are green on the vines-I am SO looking forward to fresh homegrown tomatoes with every meal! YAY for fruits and veggies!
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I think I’ll start with 4 a day too. Some days I don’t get any!
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Sounds good! We joined a CSA for the first time this summer so we’re going to be working on using up all that good produce!
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I absolutely love this challenge! I hope everyone tries it!
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I am in! School is out soon and my goal was to make healthier lunches this summer instead of quick junky ones. This will help!
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I am definitely in! I am constantly looking for ways to ease my family into more healthy eating.
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Definitely on it! Love this! I really upped my produce supply today at the store. We do pretty well but I want us to do even better. I’ve been making the spinach smoothies and now trying to get more veggies in us earlier in the day. We have salads planned for almost every dinner this week and I am hoping to make this regular. Thanks, Laura!!
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Oh yeah, I am so excited to see you do this challenge! I am a raw food vegan, my 5-year old son is a vegan, and my hubby tries really hard to eat right. By the time breakfast is over at my house, we have consumed at least 4 servings of fruits & veggies. It can be done!
Green smoothies are an excellent way to achieve this goal. If interested, please stop by and click the links on the right side bar for info & recipes. I look forward to seeing all the new ideas and recipes here ;-)
Laura, recently I adapted one of your recipes (coffee cake) and made it vegan. It was gobbled up immediately and was so fun to make. Thank you for sharing!
Blessings!
Simple Raw Food Mamma
aka Simple Country Girl
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I’m in! The kids just finished studying about healthy eating and it is really cool how they are figuring out which foods belong to which food group and participating in making sure we’re getting what we need.
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I’m in as well!! My hubs and I eat pretty well as far as supper goes but my son (2 years old) is already so picky and won’t eat anything green…when he is with us anyway. I would like to learn new ways to get him to eat more veggies!
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Yup, this is just what I needed – how did you know? :>) I’m so in! I’ll go post about this now – thanks, Laura.
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I’m definitely joining it!
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What a great idea! At this point I’m trying to drink “green smoothies” every day for lunch and I’ve noticed a nice boost in my energy since I’ve started doing that.
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Hello!! Just wanted to say that I am joining in:-) I am looking forward to a blue berry-strawberry-and greens smoothy for breakfast. Thanks for doing this, I have been feeling like this week I haven’t been eating so healthy, so it’s great to have the extra motivation to get going! Looking forward to your posts…
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I definately to join this one. I know that it takes thoughtful preperation to make sure that you have fruits and veggies in the houes. Fruit isn’t much of a problem. We love fruit!! It’s just hard getting enough veggies in.
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I’m in, too. We are decent about it during the week when I plan our menus pretty carefully but on the weekends, I tend to let it slide. We have a little one and from what I hear, you need to keep exposing them to things so that they will build a taste for them. Here’s a good chance for me to focus on that. Thanks for starting this!
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I need to do better so I am in :) Thanks for the challenge. I will eat 4 a day.
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Well here in Niagara area of Southern Ontario, fruits and veggies will be coming into season soon…HURRAY!
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Laura
I have been reading your posts and loving your recipes and real and easy way of relating! We are vegetarian and eat lots of veggies and fruit but I struggle with getting more variety into my boys. It also makes it more difficult to save on food (I am just starting gardening!). I will be interested to hear how this change affects your food budget (which has been helpful to learn about as well)
So my challenge is to do new recipes with fruits and veggies!
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I just started a new wellness plan today (of all days) and one of my goals is at least 5 veggies and 2 fruits per day. I just discovered your site through Chele at Proverbs 31 Homekeeper. Let the challenge begin!
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I’m in–what a great idea!
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I love this challenge! Several friends and I are always trying to eat healthier and believe that raw, natural foods (especially fruits, veggies, nuts) are so good for you. But, this is an area that we all have room to improve. This is great! Thank you for issuing this challenge. I look forward to checking your progress.
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This is a wonderful challenge! My boy and I look forward to it! Thank you.
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I’m in!
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Bring it! :D
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I definetely need to do this… how do I sign up with you? :-)
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i’m in!
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Hi!
I was wondering if you were still doing this? Is it too late to start? I would love to join in even though it is now October…. what should I do to find out?
Thanks for a great pointer on the road to better eating!
Pauline in Australia
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