The right amount of fruits and vegetables for you

Wednesday, July 9, 2014
VIDEO: Right amount of fruits and vegetables for you
Have you joined the 6abc Gets Fit challenge?

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- If you have joined the 6abc Gets Fit challenge, then you already know now is the time to make sure you're eating your recommended amount of fruits and vegetables. And it may not be as difficult as you may think.

At the cooking class inside 11th Street Family Health Services, they're focusing on adding more fruits and vegetables into meals.

Nutrition educator Jennifer Warshaw says it all comes down to planning and she has four simple suggestions to help you eat more fruits and veggies.

1. Put out a fruit bowl: Seeing it, will make you more likely to eat it.

2. Prep work: Whether it's fruit or veggies, cleaning, cutting, and having it readily available in refrigerator.

3. Packing it: She says as she cleans up dinner, she packs healthy snacks for lunch the next day.

4. Add a healthy dip, occasionally: Peanut butter, soy nut butter, hummus, light salad dressing, mashed up avocado

And because many people tend to overestimate or underestimate serving size.

Here's a good reminder, one serving of raw veggies is one cup and cooked is a half cup.

But if you don't like measuring, just try to fill half your plate with fruits and veggies.

Upping your intake of these nutrient-dense, low-calorie foods has a great effect on the body.

"So when you start doing that, you have more energy, you're eating less processed foods and you're losing weight," Warshaw said.

And again planning is key!

Now to figure out how many fruits and vegetables you should be eating, use this calculator.

Don't forget to post your healthy pictures on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram using #6abcGetsFit.