Mom says: “Remember to eat your fruits and veggies!”

The CDC has started a new program encouraging people to start eating 5-9 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. How many fruits and vegetables did you eat today? This is a difficult thing to do when you are living in the dorms and eating in dining halls or eating out most of the time. I know, I eat in dining all the time. When I’m not eating there I’m eating off of the food carts and in the food courts . . . And unless I make a concentrated effort to eat fruits and vegetables, I pretty much end up eating carbohydrates. But the point is, it is important to your health and well-being to get the vitamins and minerals found only in fruits and vegetables. YOU KNOW THIS ALREADY, YOU ARE SMART STUDENTS! But sometimes we need a little reminder to put a little effort into changing our habits.

Eating 5 to 9 A Day is quick and easy. A serving is a medium-size piece of fruit; ¾ cup (6 fl. oz.) of 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice, ½ cup cooked or canned vegetables or fruit, 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables, ½ cup cooked dry peas or beans, or ¼ cup dried fruit. And if you eat in dining you are officially aloud to take fruit with you as you leave! (How nice are they . . . looking out for our health!) And, in case you haven’t frequented their truck, the fruit trucks on campus amazingly have wonderful fruit all year long! So, if you pay a little more attention to your fruit and veggie consumption not only can you decrease your chances of diabetes, heart disease, some types of cancers, eating more fruits and veggies (instead of cheese fries and pizza) may also help take off some of the winter weight and get you ready for summer. So remember, eat your fruits and veggies!

written by Kate Hostvedt, 2004