You know the advice: Eat your fruits and vegetables. An article in the September issue of the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter suggests veggies should get top billing.
“Vegetables pack much more of a punch in terms of nutritional value than fruits,” said Dr. John Swartzberg is head of Wellness Letter’s editorial board. “That’s not to say fruits aren’t nutritional. They certainly are. But ounce-for-ounce vegetables are going to give you a lot more.”
“You certainly want to have fruits on your plate,” he said, “but you want to have more vegetables than you’re currently probably having if you look at how Americans eat.”
The federal government’s latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest we eat at least two cups of fruit per day, and a minimum of two and a half cups of vegetables.
So, look for some creative ways to prepare your vegetables.
“For example, cutting them up into small pieces, baking them with some oil over them until they’re really nice and crispy can taste really good,” Dr. Swartzberg said. “There are a variety of creative things you can do with vegetables, so you can have a bigger portion of vegetables on your plate than anything else.”
The UC Berkeley Wellness Letter is a subscription publication, but NW Newsradio listeners can use this special link to get free access to the article Fruits & Veggies—or Veggies & Fruits? until Oct. 14, 2022.
