Hey guys! I hope all of my east coasters are hanging in there during this snow storm. It has been somewhat of an icy mess here in Charlotte but the roads are pretty clear today. Just in time for the playoff game tonight…. Go Panthers!!!
Checking in from Week 3
Last week we focused on getting in those fruit servings. I heard from some of you that this was a piece of cake and from others that fruit is hard to fit in. Leave a comment below and let me how things turned out for you! How many points did you get? How are those steps going?
Week 4 Challenge
I can’t believe we are already at week 4.
Your challenge this week is to get the recommended amount of vegetable servings each day. These recommendations are:
Click here for your food diary.
The average American gets <2 C vegetables per day and potatoes and tomatoes are the most-consumed vegetables in the US. So this week should be interesting!!!
Don’t forget that vegetables are divided into ‘subgroups’. Variety is the spice of life so try to get servings throughout all subgroups. Starchy vegetables aren’t *bad* but try to choose plenty of veggies from the other groups.
The dietary guidelines has an awesome chart that gives you a great visual.
Why is vegetable (and fruit!) intake important?
Increased intake is associated with…
Decreased risk of cardiovascular disease
Lowers blood pressure and can help treat hypertension
Lowers your risk of mortality
The WHO sums everything up pretty well!
Tips for this Week
- Keep the peel! Veggie peels (like cucumbers and potatoes) have fiber! We know all about those benefits
- Here is an awesome list of veggie-filled recipes from Harvard.
- Try something new! We all like to stick to the things we know and like but how about trying something new this week?
- Adding a handful of greens to a smoothie is a great way to sneak in vegetables first thing in the morning.
- If you’re choosing frozen vegetables, choose plain veggies and season them yourself. The vegetables with sauce are usually pretty high in salt.
- If you’re choosing canned vegetables, choose low sodium or no salt added AND rinse them off before you cook them. This will decrease the salt.
Good luck this week!
Questions for my boot campers:
How many points did you earn last week?
Was getting enough fruit easy or difficult for you?
How was your water intake this week?
I’d love to hear how things went for you! Have a great week 
I try to get a serving of fruit in with my breakfast and another later in the day as a snack. I find it is more difficult to get fruits in when I stray from my typical M – F routine. I had last Friday off from work so I had to make an extra effort to get the fruit in. Water is still easy to get in. Steps were not good , I think only 1 10K+ day :(
I find the same thing about M-F vs. weekends when it comes to fruits (or just healthy eating in general). Thanks for checking in!