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Fruits and vegetables are two of the most nutrient-dense food groups you can eat. They are full of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants for good health. Fruits and vegetables are low in calories, convenient, and easy to incorporate into meals and snacks. Fruits and vegetables have many health benefits. - Some vegetables can even change your health for good with an added boost to your well-being. - Some fruits may assist with weight loss and weight management, which is an added benefit to these foods. Aim to eat at least one or two servings of fruits and vegetables at each meal. If you are visual, try to make half of your plate full of fruits and vegetables at each meal.
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A plant-based diet has a number of health benefits. You do not have to be a full-blown vegetarian or vegan to enjoy plant-based meals. Try a “Meatless Monday” where you replace the meat in your meals with other healthy protein options like beans, tofu, tempeh, or veggie burgers. Some of the best plant proteins provide all of the essential amino acids needed for health, so they are considered to be complete. These plant-based complete proteins are great options to use when planning meatless meals.
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This includes sugary coffee drinks, soda, fruit juices, and sugary alcoholic beverages. You get little to no nutrition, extra calories, and sugar from these drinks. Too much sugar can lead to weight gain, increases inflammation in the body, and increases the risk of many chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes. If you do drink them, do so seldomly. Replace these sugary beverages with water or other calorie-free sugar-free beverages, and save your sugary coffee drink or soda for special occasions.
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Women can lack protein if they are not eating a lot of meat or limiting calories. Protein is important for building and repairing body tissues and maintaining muscle mass. Protein is found in meat, dairy products, beans, nuts, nut butter, seeds, soy-based products, some grains, and even some vegetables. Make sure to include protein-rich foods like Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, meat, beans, or soy-based products at every meal. It’s also common for women to be lacking in iron. Eating a varied diet with iron-rich foods is the best way to ensure you are getting enough iron and not experiencing a deficiency. Animal-based protein and meats have the type of iron that is absorbed well by the body. Plant-based iron is poorly absorbed by the body but can be enhanced by adding foods that have vitamin C. For example, if you are enjoying a vegetarian meal with beans, add some tomatoes or broccoli because the vitamin C from the vegetables helps absorb the plant-based iron from the beans.
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Diets are temporary and set you up for failure. Fad diets can be restrictive and leave you lacking in many nutrients. When you diet and do lose weight, you will most likely gain the weight back unless you have made changes to your eating habits. Instead of dieting, make small but sustainable changes to your eating and physical activity habits. Adding a serving of vegetables to your dinner, replacing sugary beverages with water, trying a “Meatless Monday,” or snacking on fruits instead of cookies are small but sustainable changes you can make to your eating habits.
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