Recently, I have been on a huge fruit and vegetable kick. I have always been good about eating fruits and vegetables until I really started counting how many servings I eat per day. The current recommendation is 9-12 servings. I was eating about 5. Most of the patients I work with are required to complete a 3-day diet diary prior to the first appointment. In counting fruit and vegetable servings per day on the diaries, I am usually seeing about 4-5 servings per day. We are adding a couple of vegetables to lunch and dinner and then maybe a fruit snack.

About a month ago, I decided to change this in my own life. But how, you ask? It sounds a little daunting to increase fruits and vegetables by at least 4 servings per day, doesn’t it? I was also feeling pretty uninspired with cooking, in general, at that point. I decided to do it with colors. I would broaden the colors of fruits and vegetables every day. I used this color sheet as a guide: Phytonutrient Spectrum Foods. If you read through this list, you will find many foods that you really like and forgot about and foods you have never tried.

Being more colorful is working for me and is even working for my teenage son. I took him to the produce department and had him pick two foods of each color that he is willing to eat. He was a picky eater as a younger child, but not so much now. He begrudgingly picked the foods and ate them. He is still probably not getting 9-12 servings per day, but his awareness of what he is eating has changed. I will ask him in the evening what colors he had a lunch that day and he can answer quickly. Then, I try to get in at least 5 colors every evening at dinner.

Now you may be asking, why bother? Or, making an excuse like, it’s too hard, or there’s no time to do all of that. Well, it is a little harder and it does take more time to plan and prepare, but let me tell you, it is worth it! I feel so much better since I have been doing this. I love eating food that makes me feel amazing, that is alive, and full of energy. My digestive system is working better and I am seriously waking up more refreshed in the morning. I could go on and on about all the phytonutrients and other health benefits, but we all know we could eat more fruits and vegetables. So, give it a try. Pay attention to the color in your meals and reap the benefits! Happy Colorful Eating!

If you would like assistance in improving your diet, why not schedule a private consultation with me? I spend 60-90 minutes with my new Premier-level patients and a part of that is on food.