Fruits and veggies  are nature’s multivitamins

Nature’s bounty of fruits and vegetables are an easy way to add the much-needed multivitamins to our diet.Vitamin supplements never look half as good and no comparison is possible regarding taste.

Many of the vitamins have their source in fruits and vegetables. Some, however, may have animal products as their best sources.

An easy way to remember:

Water soluble vitamins like B complex and C: Main source fruits and veggies

Fat soluble vitamins: Vitamin  A, D, E, K

Source:Animal products,eggs,meat,beef,poultry.

Our busy schedule and lack of motivation often derail all our good resolutions.While on a self-improvement trip, I was able to increase the daily dose of this goodness, hence this post! Hope it helps, to get you motivated and add more nature’s goodness to your diet.

Top 5 Reasons to make fruits and veggies our best friends

Vitamin A: Keeps our eyes healthy

Richest source is orange and yellow fruits and veggies. Carrots are a very good source.

As Retinol:Liver,fatty fish,eggs

As Beta-carotene: Red and yellow coloured veggies.Carrots, tomatoes, green leafy vegetables, sweet potatoes

Vitamin B: Important for best energy production and repair of muscle tissues.Helps to keep our digestive system healthy.

Vitamin B: Richest source germinating sprouts and most fruits and veggies

Sources of   B-Complex vitamins:

Thiamine: Yeast, pulses, wheat, rice (paroled and milled), bread

Riboflavin: Milk and milk products, eggs, papaya, dried apricots, leafy veggies

Niacin:Liver,kidney,peanuts,beef,mutton,pork,wholemeal cereals,pulses

VitaminB6:Avocado,banana,legumes (dried beans),meat,nuts,poultry,whole grains.

Folate:Liver,peanuts,green leafy veggies ,avocado ,pulses.

Vitamin B12: Milk and milk products, meat

Vitamin C, E:  Both these are antioxidants.They help prevent cellular damage hence has anti-aging property, helps prevent cancer.

Vitamin C sources: All sour fruits.Amla,oranges, lemon,guava,mango,papaya,pineapple, green leafy veggies,tomato,lettuce,radish

Vitamin E: Fish oils, nuts, wheat germ, beef and organ meat, sunflowers seeds, eggs, green leafy veggies.

Vitamin D, K: Keeps our skin, hair, bones healthy,  role in proper blood clotting and overall neuromuscular health.

Vitamin D Source: fish oil(cod liver oil), liver, egg yolk.

Vitamin K Source: Green leafy vegetables, dried herbs, dried prune green tea, also produced by probiotic organisms in the   intestine.

How to change ..slow and steady….the rule of 5

5 Servings per day

2 servings of fruit,3 or more of veggies, would be best, but it’s better to be slow, steady and consistent. Gradually increasing number of fruits and vegetable in every meal helps to increase the total daily intake.

5 Trick to do this

Breakfast

• Bananas  , apples , grapes, berries,various nuts, fig  raisins with oats or corn flakes
• Fruit smoothie
• Spanish omelette with sprouts, carrots, French beans.onions, tomatoes, peas and any other veggies you want.

Lunch: Indians love their sabzi  as a side dish, so this is generally not a problem

• Sauté seasonal veggies in olive oil, add salt pepper, nuts, raisins and a portion of brown rice.garnish with lemon wedges.
• Salad of cucumber, apples, pears, shredded carrots, oranges and pineapples any others.
• Raita/ yoghurt with diced veggies, fruits of your choices.

Dinner

• Grilled chicken with grilled veggies like carrots, beans tomatoes, peas.
• Salad of cucumber, onions Tomatoes.

Snack

• Diced carrots, tomatoes, onions with boiled chickpeas/ roasted peanuts/muri (puffed rice)/sprouts with a dash of salt, lemon, black pepper.

Dessert

• Sweet fruits like mangoes, apples watermelon, ripe papaya, grapes, sweet berries, custard apple, by themselves are deserts but if you crave chocolate something, dip fruit of your choice in molten dark chocolate.

How to start and stick with the plan

• Slow and steady definitely wins the race in this case.Whatever be the number of fruits and veggie servings you have nowadays, try to increase at least by one serve per week. A gradual lifestyle transition causes less havoc than a drastic change.
• Enjoy fruits as a family together, we started having fruits in front of our toddler which made her have them enthusiastically without much trouble.

Have them as salads, chats, snacks, side dish, main dish, dessert, drink any way you want.

Buy fresh, eat whole or cut, with or without seasoning just have them.Not only do they provide us with essential micronutrients, their fibre and water content and minimal calorie count make them ideal for losing weight and keeping it off the healthy way, so keep on munching!

One small step in the right direction is a leap towards a healthier and happier life.Stay healthy, stay happy and remember Health is  Wealth!

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