10 secrets to eating enough fruits and veggies

6. Order right when dining out. Research shows that people who dine out eat significantly less fruits and vegetables -- especially at fast-food restaurants. To prevent this from happening:

• Order a salad as an appetizer or even as a main course. Ask for low-fat or light dressing on the side so you can control how much you consume.

• Ask whether the entree comes with vegetables. If not, order extra veggies on the side (french fries don't count!).

• Supplement take-out dinners with vegetables and fruit from home. Microwaved veggies are fast and easy, and canned fruit like mandarin orange sections makes a quick dessert.

7. Sensational smoothies. They're great for kids and adults alike. All you need is a blender and your imagination. Mix 1/2 cup (125 mL) of your favourite fresh or frozen fruits with 1 cup (250 mL) low-fat milk, soy milk, yogurt, or fruit juice. Use more fruit for a thicker smoothie. Beware of store-bought smoothies: they often contain only small amounts of real fruit and lots of added sugar.

8. Go for convenience. Prewashed, prebagged salads make it easy to enjoy salad every single day of the year. Ready-to-serve veggie trays and fruit platters, as well as prechopped or preshredded veggies and fruits, are widely available at most supermarkets. Don't let cleaning and chopping come between you and your produce.

9. Double up. If you normally take one scoop of peas, take two. Instead of four spears of asparagus, have eight. It doesn't get any easier than this!

10. Dip and dunk. Raw veggies were born to be dipped (most kids would agree!). Go wild with carrot sticks, red pepper strips, and broccoli or cauliflower florets and serve them with a creamy light or low-fat salad dressing. Fresh fruit such as bananas, berries, or orange sections tastes great dipped in low-fat, fruit-flavoured yogurt or low-fat chocolate pudding.

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Excerpted from Ultimate Foods for Ultimate Health...and Don't Forget the Chocolate! by Liz Pearson and Mairlyn Smith. Copyright 2007 by Liz Pearson and Mairlyn Smith. Excerpted with permission from Whitecap Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced except with permission in writing from the publisher.