Special Olympics Vermont is a member of the Chronic Disease and Disability Advisory Group through the Vermont Department of Health. This post is part of a series of blog posts containing health information for our athletes.
Do you know you should fill half your plate with fruits or vegetables each meal? Here are some tips to help you reach this goal every time you eat:
Breakfast:
Add veggies to scrambled eggs. Good choices include spinach, tomatoes, broccoli, peppers and onions.
Add cut up fruit to low fat, low sugar yogurt.
Make a smoothie with lots of fruit and add spinach, kale or other veggies, too.
Make some thick oatmeal and top with raisins, apples, or other nuts, seeds, and fruit.
Lunch and Dinner:
Make a big salad and add a little protein such as a hard-boiled egg, a small amount of cheese, or some tuna or cooked, chopped chicken.
Add veggies to your sandwich, such as lettuce, tomato, cucumber slices, red or green pepper rings.
Cut up raw carrots, celery, cucumbers, peppers or cherry tomatoes to eat as a side dish.
Roasting veggies is easy and brings out new flavors. Cut up whatever veggies you have on hand, lightly coat with olive oil and roast at 350° until done. Use roasted or grilled veggies as a side dish, put them on sandwiches, or add them to salads.
Add a piece of fruit for dessert. Good choices are apples, peaches, pears, grapes, oranges, bananas, berries, cherries.
Snacks:
Carrots or celery with a hummus dip provides both veggies and some protein that will help hunger go away.
Whole fruit is easy to carry wherever you are headed. This includes apples, oranges, nectarines and bananas.
Dried fruit is another option for a quick and easy snack.
For more ideas go to www.chooseMyPlate.gov