How to Eat More Fruits and Vegetables Every Day
We all know we should eat more fruits and vegetables. Knowing it and actually doing it every day, however, are two very different things.
Busy mornings, packed schedules, picky eaters, travel, and the simple reality of keeping fresh produce washed, prepared, and ready to eat can make good intentions surprisingly difficult to maintain.
The good news? Eating more fruits and vegetables doesn't have to mean completely changing the way you eat. Small, consistent choices can help you add more plants, more variety, and more color to your everyday routine.
And when fresh produce isn't practical? There are easier ways to bring fruits and vegetables along for the ride.
1. Start by Eating the Rainbow
One of the simplest ways to think about fruits and vegetables is through color.
Red beets, orange carrots, yellow fruits, leafy greens, blueberries and purple produce all contain different naturally occurring plant compounds and nutrients. Rather than reaching for the same two or three fruits and vegetables every week, challenge yourself to put more colors on your plate.
At Mera Sona, this idea is especially close to our hearts. Our philosophy was inspired in part by founder Réina Mohan's mother, Sunita Sitara, who encouraged her family to “eat a rainbow” every day.
It's a wonderfully simple way to think about nutrition: instead of obsessing over perfection, look for variety.
2. Add Fruits and Vegetables to Foods You Already Eat
You don't necessarily need new recipes. Start with the meals you already love and ask one question: Where can I add a plant?
Add spinach, peppers or mushrooms to your morning eggs. Toss berries or bananas into oatmeal. Add extra vegetables to pasta sauce, soups and casseroles. Top sandwiches with leafy greens and tomatoes. Add roasted vegetables alongside dinner.
Even small additions throughout the day can add up.
3. Make Your Morning Count
Breakfast is an easy opportunity to get a head start.
Fruit can be added to yogurt, oatmeal, cereal and smoothies, while vegetables can work surprisingly well in eggs, breakfast wraps and savory bowls.
Smoothies are particularly helpful because you can combine several ingredients at once. A handful of spinach, some fruit and your favorite liquid can turn an ordinary breakfast into an easy way to add more plants before your day really gets going.
4. Make Fruits and Vegetables Convenient
Sometimes the problem isn't that we don't like fruits and vegetables. It's that they're less convenient than everything else in the pantry.
Make the healthy choice the easy choice.
Wash and portion produce after grocery shopping. Keep fruit somewhere visible. Pre-cut vegetables for snacks and meals. Keep frozen fruits and vegetables on hand for the days when the produce drawer is looking a little sad.
And don't assume nutritious foods always have to be fresh to count. Finding convenient ways to incorporate whole-food ingredients can make consistency much easier.
5. Let Mera Sona Cubes Do the Work
This is exactly why we created Mera Sona's organic freeze-dried cubes.
Sometimes you simply don't have a refrigerator full of fresh produce—or the time to wash, chop, peel, blend and prepare several different fruits and vegetables.
Mera Sona cubes make it easy to incorporate a colorful combination of organic fruits and vegetables into your day in a convenient, portable form.
Our cubes begin with real, certified organic ingredients and are freeze-dried, allowing us to remove moisture while creating a lightweight, shelf-stable product that's easy to keep on hand.
Think of them as an easy way to help get your fruits and veggies in when everyday life makes that harder than it sounds.
Keep them at home, take them to work, pack them when you travel or reach for them when you realize your day has been decidedly beige.
Because eating the rainbow is much easier when the rainbow is ready when you are.
6. Don't Forget About Snacks
Snacks are often overlooked opportunities to add more produce.
Try apple slices with nut butter, carrots with hummus, berries with yogurt, bananas with nuts or sliced vegetables with your favorite dip.
And on days when carrying fresh produce isn't realistic, keep a convenient whole-food option nearby. Mera Sona cubes can easily go where fresh fruits and vegetables can't, making them especially handy for workdays, road trips, travel and busy afternoons.
7. Keep Frozen Produce in the Freezer
Fresh produce is wonderful, but frozen fruits and vegetables deserve a permanent place in the kitchen too.
Frozen berries can go straight into smoothies. Frozen vegetables can quickly bulk up soups, stir-fries, pasta dishes and grain bowls. Because they're already washed and prepared, they also eliminate one of the biggest barriers to eating more vegetables: prep time.
Using fresh, frozen and freeze-dried options gives you more ways to keep fruits and vegetables available instead of depending on a single format.
8. Make It Easy for Kids
If you have children who turn suspicious the moment something green appears on a plate, don't give up.
Try incorporating fruits and vegetables into foods they already enjoy. Blend fruit into smoothies, add vegetables to pasta sauce, serve colorful produce with dips or let children choose a new color of fruit or vegetable to try.
Most importantly, keep exposing them to variety without making every meal a battle.
Healthy eating habits aren't built in one perfect dinner. They're built over time.
9. Aim for Progress, Not a Perfect Plate
One less-than-colorful meal doesn't undo a healthy lifestyle.
Instead of trying to transform your diet overnight, look at your entire day. If breakfast didn't include a fruit or vegetable, add one at lunch. If lunch was lacking, make dinner more colorful. If the entire day got away from you, that's exactly when having something convenient on hand can help.
Consistency matters more than perfection.
10. Create a Routine You Can Actually Maintain
The best nutritional habits aren't necessarily the most elaborate ones. They're the ones you can repeat.
Stock foods you'll actually eat. Find preparation methods that fit your schedule. Keep convenient options available. Experiment with different colors and ingredients. And make fruits and vegetables part of your routine rather than another item on your to-do list.
At Mera Sona, we believe nourishing yourself should feel joyful, colorful and achievable.
Fresh fruits and vegetables will always have a place at the table. But real life doesn't always come with time to chop six vegetables and assemble the world's most photogenic smoothie bowl.
That's where a little convenience can make a big difference.
Mera Sona's organic freeze-dried cubes make it easier to get your fruits and veggies in—one colorful cube at a time.
Eat More Color. Make It Simple.
Better nutrition doesn't have to begin with a dramatic diet overhaul. Start with one more color. One more fruit. One more vegetable. One small choice that you can repeat tomorrow.
Fill your refrigerator with fresh produce. Keep frozen vegetables in your freezer. And keep Mera Sona cubes nearby for the moments when you need your fruits and veggies to keep up with you.
Because eating the rainbow shouldn't be complicated.
It should be delicious, convenient and something you can actually do every day.
