The document discusses eating fruits and vegetables and provides tips to help overcome excuses for not eating enough. It addresses common excuses like cost and preparation time and provides solutions like buying in-season produce. Easy ways to eat 5 servings a day are outlined, such as adding fruits to cereal and meals. A healthy snack list includes both crunchy and creamy options. The benefits of dark leafy greens are described along with different preparation methods.

2. Topics of Discussion
• The No-Excuses Appeal of Fruits & Veggies
-- Excuses vs. Excuse Busters
• Easy Ways to Eat 5 Fruits & Veggies Each Day
-- Tips and Tricks to eating 5 a Day
• Healthy Snack List
-- Crunchy, Sweet, Salty, Creamy
• Glorious Greens

3. The No-Excuses Appeal
of Fruits and Veggies
Excuse #1: Excuse-Buster #1:
• Buying Fruits & Veggies are • Buy them in-season & fresh.
costly & spoil too quickly… They will be cheaper & at
their peak of flavor full of
vitamins and minerals.
• Buy both ripe and unripe
items so you have some for
immediate eating while the
others are ripening
• Keep them on the top shelf
of the fridge, on the kitchen
counter so you see them.

4. Check Your Reasons at the Door
Excuse #2: Excuse-Buster #2:
• They take too long to • Select the already sliced
prepare. varieties. Eat them in snack
form or toss in a salad.
• Stock up on frozen/canned.
These are simple to prepare &
offer similar nutritional value.
• Wash, slice, & dice -- store in a
clear container in the front of
your fridge where you can see
& grab on a daily basis.

5. No More Excuses
Excuse #3: Excuse Buster #3:
• Fresh fruits and veggies • Wash produce with warm
contain harmful pesticides. water. Scrub well with a
dish brush.
• Discard the dirt from the
outer leaves of leafy veggies
such as lettuce & cabbage.
• Peel & cook quickly (steam
or stir-fry) so as not to loose
too many nutrients.

6. It’s important to eat 5 a day
Excuse #4: Excuse Buster #4:
• The longer & hotter you
• Vitamins are easily lost cook, the more nutrients
when you cook fruits & you lose. You could also
veggies. eat some of them raw.
• Cook only until crisp &
tender “al dente” (steam).
• Use little water to reduce
the dissolving vitamins.
• Use big pieces rather than
small to minimize the
surface area exposed to air.

7. Tips and Tricks
Easy Ways to Eat 5
Fruits & Veggies a Day
• Add fruit to your
cereal, oatmeal, waffles, pa
ncakes.
• Create your own flavors
with plain yogurt & various
combinations of fresh fruit.
• Use chunky salsa as a snack
dip and sandwich dressing.
• Add frozen veggies to pasta
dishes.

8. More Tips & Tricks
Easy Ways to Eat 5
Fruits & Veggies a Day
• Make extra veggies & store
them for another meal.
• Add your own beans &
vegetables to your soups.
• Load extra veggies on your
thin crusted pizza.
• Try berries, melons, dates
for naturally sweet dessert.

9. One serving is less
than you might think
One serving equals:
1 medium piece of fruit
½ cup fruit (raw, canned or frozen)
½ cup cooked veggies
(canned or frozen)
1 cup raw veggies
¼ cup dried fruit
½ cup cooked peas or beans

10. Other ideas:
Combine Fruit with
main meal courses
• Raisins, apples, tangerines
add sweet & crunchiness
to a salad.
• Apples complement pork.
• Pineapple is great with
shrimp and fish.
• Orange slices are perfect
with chicken.

11. HEALTHY SNACK LIST
Crunchy Sweet
• Apples • Yams
• Frozen Grapes • Sweet Potatoes
• Carrots • Squash (acorn, butternut)
• Celery • Dates

12. HEALTHY SNACK LIST
Salty Creamy
• Olives • Avocados
• Pickles • Coconut milk
• Sauerkraut • Baba Ganoush (eggplant)
• Lime • Mashed Potatoes
• Lemon • Mashed Bananas

13. Glorious Greens
• Green vegetables are the foods most missing
in modern diets. Learning to cook and eat
greens is essential to creating health.
• When you nourish yourself with greens, you
will naturally crowd out the foods that make
you sick.
• Greens help build your internal rainforest and
strengthen the blood and respiratory system.

14. Some of the benefits
of eating dark leafy greens
• Blood purification
• Cancer prevention
• Improved circulation
• Strengthened immune
system

15. Some of the benefits
of eating dark leafy greens
• Promotion of healthy intestinal flora
• Promotion of subtle, light & flexible energy
• Lifted spirit & elimination of depression
• Improved liver, gall bladder & kidney function
• Cleared congestion

16. There are so many
greens to choose from • Broccoli or Broccolini
Find greens that you • Bok Choy
love and eat them • Napa or Green Cabbage
often. Be adventurous • Kale
and try greens that
you’ve never heard of
• Collard or Mustard Greens
before. • Dandelion
• Arugula, Endive, Chicory
• Lettuce or Mesclun
• Spinach
• Swiss Chard
• Broccoli Rabe

17. There are many ways • Raw salad is refreshing, cooling and
to prepare greens supplies live enzymes.
Raw • Steaming makes greens more fibrous
Steamed and tight, which is great for people
Boiled who are trying to lose weight.
Sautéed in oil
Sautéed in water • Boiling makes greens plump and
relaxed. Boil for under a minute so
that the nutrients in the greens do
not get lost in the water.
• You can also drink the cooking water
as a health-giving broth or tea if
you’re using organic greens.