Some Veggie/Fruit Pointers

As I've been recording my fruit servings, I actually looked up the info on how much a serving is to make sure I was being accurate.  A serving is generally measured as 1/2 cup.  So, sliced/chopped or small fruit/veggies that are about that amount will be a serving.  Also, don't forget that means that 1/2 cup salsa and tomato sauce, apple sauce, etc. are a serving.  So there's all kinds of ways to get the fruits and veggies in.

By the way, I thought I'd be cruising through this challenge - getting a point every day, easily - but apparently I've only been getting about 6 servings regularly.  So this challenge has made me more aware of my intake and I find I'm having to work at getting a few more to start earning my points!  But it's easy enough to do, it just takes a little more thinking on my part.

Click HERE to see one of my all-time favorite ways to incorporate vegetables into our diet.

And here are some more guidelines to help you:

1 Serving of Fruit

• one banana
• six strawberries
• two plums
• fifteen grapes
• one apple
• one peach
• one-half cup of orange or other fruit juice

1 Serving of Vegetables

• five broccoli florets
• ten baby carrots
• one roma tomato
• 3/4 cup tomato juice
• half of a baked sweet potato
• one ear of corn
• four slices of an onion

August Challenge (It Involves Eating!)



Awww, they're so cute you could just eat 'em up!

 Wow, is it already mid-August?!?!  This gives us 2.5 weeks to accomplish something healthy this month.  I realize that schedules and motivations are all over the place this time of year with summer wrap-up activities and school year preparations.  So, let's keep things simple.

If any of you out there are like me, you find yourself falling victim to stress-eating.  My snacking and portion sizes are out of control lately!  So I thought we could all benefit from a nutritional challenge.

We'll worry about making sure our workout routines are on track next month once we settle into our fall schedules.  But for now, let's finish the month eathing healthily and taking advantage of summer's fruit and vegetable bounty.



Fresh, frozen, even canned... it's all good!



August Challenge:

Eat the 7 daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables.

Point Value:  Varies.  One point for each day that you accomplish this.

This is an easy way to rack up some major points!  Some of you may already be accomplishing this, so your goal is to keep track and keep it up!

I'm going to email y'all with a simple chart you can print off to easily track your progress and at the end of the month, you can add up the amount of days you reached this goal and report in.

I personally plan on not only incorporating both fruits and veggies into each meal but also not allowing myself to eat a meal or snack without first eating a fruit/veggie serving.  I'm stocking up on apples, baby carrots, small cans of V8 juice and making sure I've got plenty of cut-up green peppers, watermelon and cantaloupe handy while they're still in season.  I also try to keep plenty of canned fruit in my pantry for times that I don't have anything fresh on hand.  I love canned pears and mandarin oranges in particular.

Eating more fruits and vegetables helps you improve the vitamins and nutrients of your diet, increases your intake of fiber and helps tame your hunger for fewer calories.

So print out your charts, keep a tally, and rack up the points this month!