Fruit & Vegetable Diet Tips

Fruits and vegetables are the mainstay of any diet plan—no matter which diet you wish to use. Even if you go on a no-carbohydrate diet, you will be eating a lot of vegetables, and eventually fruit is included on that diet as well. One reason for this is that fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins and nutrients that your body needs to be in optimal working order.

Fruits and vegetables not only taste good, but they provide the fiber and roughage you need to help your body get rid of its excess. So the best way to losing weight is to eat mostly plant materials in the form of fruits and vegetables. Here are some fruit and veggie tips to help you along your path to dieting success:

1. Go crazy with vegetables. Most vegetables have few calories than other foods, but can really help you feel full. The leafy green vegetables are your best choice, so try to include a salad at least once a day with your meal.

2. Use vegetables as a snacking choice. Instead of reaching for potato chips or cookies, use fruits or vegetables as a stand-by snack. Grab an orange, a bunch of grapes or an apple instead of your usual snacks. Have carrot sticks, radishes or green pepper slices cut up and readily available in your fridge when you feel peck-ish. You don’t want to have to stop and cut them up when the craving hits, or you may end up reaching for whatever is at hand before you really think about it.

3. Eating fresh veggies are better than cooked or canned. Cooking vegetables can take away nearly half of the vitamins in them. Canned vegetables can have added salt or other processing that may make them more calorie-laden than fresh vegetables would be. Eating raw veggies can be more satisfying and filling as well—think of that added ‘crunch’ and texture.

4. Try to have at least one meat-free meal per week. Focus on a vegetarian menu for one night.

5. If your family is having a ‘spaghetti night’ use bean sprouts for your helping instead of the calorie-rich spaghetti noodles. Sauté the bean sprouts until softened slightly and top them with the tomato-meat sauce. This is a yummy alternative.

6. Carry parsley with you and munch on it in between meals. The parsley will not only provide you with a vitamin rich snack, but will also help make your breath fresher.

7. Try new vegetables and fruits that you may not have tried before. Experiment with new varieties so that your menus will not become too boring.

8. Stick to the fruits and veggies that are not too high in carbohydrates or calories. For instance, bananas are high in carbohydrates and calories. If you must have a banana, however, for help in your potassium levels—trying eating just half.

9. Be aware of the sugar content in fruits. These may tend to drive up the calories so check with a good calorie counting book before over-indulging. Also, though, eating fruit can help with your sugar cravings. Reach for them before reaching for the cookies or chocolates.

10. If you use canned fruit, make sure that you use ones that are packed in water or their own juices. Much of the canned fruit has added sugar so be sure to read the food label on the cans.

One last tip about fruit: Be careful of the fruit juices that you consume. Even the ones that say they have no sugar added can contain a lot of natural sugar that does not get taken into account in advertising programs. And, the amount of real fruit juice can be very low on the list of ingredients contained in the juice. Be sure to read the food label before you indulge in any consumption of fruit juice.

Hopefully the above tips will help you be a little more aware of how to use fruits and vegetables in your diet plan.

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