When you think of getting 5-10 servings of fruits and vegetables daily… are you terrified? Confused? Motivated? Already there? Everyone has different reactions, depending on their willingness to include produce in their daily meals and snacks. Personally, being a vegetarian, I love my vegetables and fruits. Carrots, cauliflower, strawberries, spinach, apples, zucchini – you name it, I’ll eat it! But not everybody has this zest for produce, even though everyone knows fruits and vegetables are so good for us. So, how can you get motivated?
One way to make it easier to get your 5-10 servings (and, ideally, there should be a higher ratio of vegetables to fruits) is to count your colours. Fruits and veggies come in so many different hues and colours that it’s almost fun to challenge yourself to eat as many colours as possible. And each colour comes with its own benefits!
BLUE (and purple) fruits and vegetables, including blueberries, cabbage, beets, and grapes are beneficial for your memory function and healthy aging. ORANGE (and yellow) fruits and vegetables like mangoes, carrots, oranges, and squash are great for vision and your immune system. They also contain beta-carotene! WHITE fruits and veggies include bananas, cauliflower, garlic, and mushrooms. They contain nutrients that have been linked with heart health. RED fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, red apples, strawberries, and red onions contain nutrients beneficial for heart health, memory function, and urinary tract health. Finally, GREEN vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, cabbage, asparagus, and celery all contain nutrients that assist in maintaining vision health, liver health, and strong bones.
It’s like colour coding your health benefits! When choosing fruits and vegetables, it’s important to choose ORGANIC. This way, you get all of the benefits and rewards without the chemical baggage. Here are a few good reasons to choose include organic produce at every meal.
ORGANIC FOR THE EARTH: Organic farming benefits the planet on a huge scale. Since organic farmers do not use any synthetic pesticides that contaminate our water systems and soil, they are a great preserver of our wildlife. They also help bring balance to our environment. Organic farming reportedly uses 30% less fossil fuel than other farming systems, therefore using less energy. It’s also been found that organic farming tends to hold more carbon in the soil, reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
ORGANIC FOR OUR WORKERS: The production of organic produce involves no pesticides or chemicals – things often found in conventional farming methods. Even when pesticides are used correctly, they end up in the air and bodies of farm workers. Certain pesticides have been associated with health issues in farm workers, like abdominal pain, dizziness, nausea, headaches, vomiting, and skin and eye problems. By eliminating exposure to these harmful toxins, organic farming protects our workers!
ORGANIC FOR YOUR HEALTH: Unaltered, wholesome fruits and veggies grown from uncontaminated soil and produced through environmentally friendly methods is what everyone desires. Produce that tastes the way it was meant to taste: fresh, crisp, and full of flavour. Organic produce holds its nutritional value since no synthetic chemicals have depleted it of any of the good stuff before it reaches you!
Three awesome reasons to increase your intake of organic produce. And, since Goodness Me! sells all organic produce at conventional prices, the choice is simple! So eat your colours, go organic, and reap the benefits. Those 5-10 servings will be a piece of cake in no time!