5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day might seem like no big deal to some people—for others it can seem like actual work to eat all those fruits and vegetables. How do you make sure to get in your 5-A-Day?

It seems easy for us. Fruit with non-sugared cereal in the morning and an orange instead of orange juice. Salad with a small meal for lunch. The lunch usually has one serving of veggies as well. Usually an apple and ricotta cheese for an afternoon snack and then vegies with dinner. It usually comes up to between 5 to 9 a day. Sometimes for a vegetarian dinner like the Eggplant parmesan from this site there are even more veggies added to the list.

I add berries to my morning cereal. I ususally add 4 cherries, 4 raspberries, 4 cranberries, 4 strawberries, 4 blackberries, and a bunch of blueberries. I also add some blueberry pomeagranet juice and some kefir with FOS. Does anyone know how this would count on the servings of fruit per day? I also try to eat an apple or pear a day and that is about all I get in the line of fruit. I am diabetic and don't do well with higher sugar fruits like bananas although I love them.

I find fruits are easy but veggies are more difficult. I usually have berries on my cereal and either a half a banana or half a grapefruit with breakfast also. Then another piece of fruit with lunch, and usually fruit and nuts for an afternoon snack. Then finally I'll get vegetables with dinner. I'm trying to replace fruit with vegetables at lunch especially.

Having diabetes I need to get more vegies and less fruit. I usually stick with apples and pears with a few berries, but my dr. is trying a new sugar medicine, and it seems to be working so well I can eat more fruits. It is great to be able to eat a banana or even a little watermellon. Our family makes field peas, butter beans, ocra and corn on the cobb cooked together in one big pot for hollidays. I ate some on the 4th, even a little potato salad, too. It was great to be able to eat some starchy vegies.

Penny

Its so easy for me to do in the summer when all I can think about is fresh produce, but I definately find it harder in the winter (for veggies, not fruits...it's limiting my fruit intake that is usually the problem!

Usually I'll have 2 1/2 cups of lettuce/spinach mix as a salad base for lunch, mixed with 1/2 cup of mixed veggies (summer squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini...), and a 1/2 cup of black beans for 2 servings of vegetables. It makes for a great, easy lunch, and I like to make variety by going with a 'tex-mex' theme by adding salsa to the ranch dressing or an 'asian' theme by adding edamame and asian dressing. I get bored with same-old foods, so it's nice having variety even when having a salad.

For supper, my family always has some sort of veggie...sweet potatoes, broccoli, frozen peas, or something like that to get in that last daily vegetable serving.

When I don't have salads for lunch, I usually throw some spinach and tomatoes in my morning omelette, or I'm sure to make veggies and cottage cheese or hummus as my afternoon snack.