Colour your way to your daily health

It is important to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables every day. Diets rich in fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. Fruits and vegetables provide essential vitamins and minerals, fiber and other substances that are important for good health. Most fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories and are filling.

You've probably heard about the 5 A Day for Better Health program. It offers easy ways to add more fruits and vegetables in your daily diet. It is vital that we eat a variety of orange / yellow, red, green, white and blue / purple vegetables and fruit every day. By eating vegetables and fruits from each color group, you get vitamins, minerals and fiber that each color group has to offer alone or in combination.

There are several different ways, but simple to begin to incorporate fruits and vegetables to your meals and favorite pets. You can start your day with 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice, banana or strawberry slice on top of your bowl of cereal or a salad for lunch and an apple for snack. Include a vegetable with dinner and you already have about 5 cups of fruits and vegetables. You can even try adding a piece of fruit for a snack or a vegetable at dinner.

Do not be afraid to try something new to increase their intake of fruits and vegetables. There are so many choices when selecting fruits and vegetables. Kiwifruit, asparagus, mango and may become your new favorite. Keep things fresh and interesting by combining fruits and vegetables of different flavors and colors, like red grapes with pineapple chunks, or cucumbers and red peppers.

Make a habit of keeping fruits and vegetables visible and easily accessible - we tend to eat more. Store cut and cleaned produce at eye level in the refrigerator, or keep a big bowl of colorful fruit on the table.