Easy Ways to Get 5 or More A Day

• Top waffles, French toast or pancakes with fresh fruit.
   

• Serve fruits and vegetables at every meal. Have a piece of fruit at breakfast, add a salad or vegetable soup to lunch and add cooked vegetables and salad to dinner.
   

• Adapt the snacks at your bridge group, church meeting or work place. Serve 100% fruit juice, cut up fruits and vegetables with lowfat dip, hearty vegetable soup, lowfat muffins or quick breads made with fruit or vegetables. Check out some healthy eating recipes.
   

• Keep fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator for quick and easy snacking.
   

• Take fruit along with you. It is a quick and easy snack for people on the go. Don’t forget about dried fruit. It keeps well and is easy to carry.
   

• Add extra vegetables to stews, soups and casseroles. Top your favorite pizza with extra mushrooms, spinach and onions.
   

• Add beans to soups and stews. Use beans in marinated vegetable salads.
   

• For more ideas visit the Department of Health's Learn To Live Healthy Eating information page and click on recipes.

How to Help Your Kids Eat 5 (or More) a Day

• Take your child to the store to pick out some different fruits and vegetables. Let your child help with preparing the fruits and vegetables and have everyone taste. Don’t give up if your child does not like it. Most children need to try a new food several times before accepting it.
   

• Some children prefer raw vegetables instead of cooked vegetables.
   

• Choose a vegetable and a fruit when preparing a lunch for school.
   

• Make low fat dips and toppings for fruits and vegetables.
   

• Make afruit shake in the blender with fresh or frozen fruit, yogurt and milk or fruit juice.
   

• Add chopped or grated vegetables to casseroles, meatloaf and pasta dishes.
   

• Add fruit to muffins and cookies.
   

• Limit fruit juice to 1 or 2 servings per day. Fruit juice is high in calories. Too much juice may cause diarrhea and replace other nutritious liquids that children need such as low fat milk.
  

 

• For more hints, checkout out the Raising Healthy Kids Resource Center.

Eating Out — How to Get Your 5 or More a Day

• Choose restaurants that offer fruit and vegetables on the menu.
   

• At sit down restaurants, order salad and cooked vegetables as part of your meal. Ask if vegetables or salad can be substituted for French fries. Order fresh fruit for dessert.
   

• At fast food restaurants, order a small 100% orange juice, milk or water instead of soft drinks. Substitute a baked potato for fries. Add lettuce and tomato to sandwiches. Use the salad bar and go easy on the dressing. Order the chili. Try the fruit parfait in place of the apple pie.

Now you are ready to join the Family Fitness Challenge!