Jon and I took a Chronic Disease Prevention class together this past winter.
If the title of the class sounds difficult, it definitely wasn't.
I needed it for my major and he needed a class he could sleep or do other homework in. Perfect match!
It was one of my favorite classes! I learned so much.
I consider myself to be a healthy eater, but I'm not a health nut. (not that I'm proud of that)
I don't cook with egg plant or avocado oil. (Maybe someday I will.) Sometimes I eat white bread (guilty), and lets be honest I probably allow myself too many cheat days.
Also, I'm married to a guy that could live off steak or hamburger and you'd never hear him complain.
If he ever came home and heard me say "Hey babe, we're having the yummiest green papaya salad for dinner!" He would give me one look before he was out the door headed to In-n-Out , or something similar.
Not to say that I'd consider Jon to be an unhealthy eater. If we ever get fast food (it's not very often), I'm always the one with the fries or a shake, not him.
He doesn't have sweet tooth, and he's fine with eating a salad or fruits and vegetables every once in awhile. However, whenever I bring up eating 5 + servings of fruits and veggies a DAY, he has a hard time getting excited for that.
"I had fruit snacks in my lunch. Does that count for a couple of servings?"
"There was a piece of lettuce and tomato on my sandwich so I've had my vegetables for the day."
"Broccoli, again?!"
One of the reasons fruits and vegetables are so valuable is because they are loaded with one thing: phytochemicals.
These are chemicals found ONLY in plants (no dairy or meat products) and they defend against attackers in the body.
Because of the disease protection they offer, eating foods that contain them (aka fruits and veggies) can dramatically decrease your risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
And the best part?
One serving of fruits or vegetables can contain more then 100 phytochemicals.
Along with phytochemicals, fruits and veggies also protect your health because of:
So, why does this matter?
Here's the good part!
The most recent studies show that of the people who die each year, 1 in 4 of those deaths is caused by cancer.
Over two thirds of that number is due to lack of exercise, smoking, or poor diet.
They found that those who ate 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day decrease their risk of cancer by a whopping 50%.
(*If you want the links, I'd be happy to send them to you. I just didn't want to bore you more with details about the study conducted. Just know it meets the criteria needed to be considered legit.)
Findings have also shown that for each serving of fruit/veggies a day, you decreases your risk of heart disease (the leading cause of death in the U.S.) by 3%.
Doesn't sound like much?
If you have 5 servings a day, you've decreased your risk by 15%!
Combine that with eating more whole grains and adding a handful of nuts here and there, and your on the road to living a life completely disease free.
Convinced yet?
I was. From all the studies that were shown, one thing became obvious:
You could literally put years onto your life by making an effort to get more fruits and veggies in a day.
As Jon listened to the lecture we had on this, I could literally feel his stress as he adjusted in his chair.
He knew I was right.
I knew I was right.
And we both knew I was gonna do something about it.
But I didn't want Jon to be miserable in the process.
Getting that many fruits and veggies in a day is not an easy task, especially if you are not used to it.
So I researched.
I tried lots of different fruit smoothies.
The first few I tried, were not that yummy.
They made me want to add a big scoop of vanilla ice-cream, but I knew that would be counter productive.
Finally, I stumbled across this recipe, and I haven't tried anything since.
The Perfect Fruit Smoothie
2/3 cup of low fat yogurt
1/2 cup of milk
1 Tbsp of orange juice
1/2 Tbsp of sugar
1 sliced banana
1 cup berry of your choice
(Strawberries, blackberries, or raspberries)
Slice up the fruit, throw everything in, blend it up, and you have one delicious and healthy fruit smoothie!
The best part of this smoothie is it is so quick and easy to make, it keeps you energized for at least a couple of hours, and it contains 3 servings of fruit!
Also, Jon really likes it!
Ca ching.
Try this smoothie, add a delicious salad loaded with veggies to one or two meals, and you've definitely passed the 5 servings mark:)
Try it!
Your life could depend on it.
Literally:)
It was one of my favorite classes! I learned so much.
I consider myself to be a healthy eater, but I'm not a health nut. (not that I'm proud of that)
I don't cook with egg plant or avocado oil. (Maybe someday I will.) Sometimes I eat white bread (guilty), and lets be honest I probably allow myself too many cheat days.
Also, I'm married to a guy that could live off steak or hamburger and you'd never hear him complain.
If he ever came home and heard me say "Hey babe, we're having the yummiest green papaya salad for dinner!" He would give me one look before he was out the door headed to In-n-Out , or something similar.
Not to say that I'd consider Jon to be an unhealthy eater. If we ever get fast food (it's not very often), I'm always the one with the fries or a shake, not him.
He doesn't have sweet tooth, and he's fine with eating a salad or fruits and vegetables every once in awhile. However, whenever I bring up eating 5 + servings of fruits and veggies a DAY, he has a hard time getting excited for that.
"I had fruit snacks in my lunch. Does that count for a couple of servings?"
"There was a piece of lettuce and tomato on my sandwich so I've had my vegetables for the day."
"Broccoli, again?!"
One of the reasons fruits and vegetables are so valuable is because they are loaded with one thing: phytochemicals.
These are chemicals found ONLY in plants (no dairy or meat products) and they defend against attackers in the body.
Because of the disease protection they offer, eating foods that contain them (aka fruits and veggies) can dramatically decrease your risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
And the best part?
One serving of fruits or vegetables can contain more then 100 phytochemicals.
Along with phytochemicals, fruits and veggies also protect your health because of:
- The antioxidants they contain
- High fiber content
- Their low density (meaning you can eat more for less calories)
- High fiber content
- Their low density (meaning you can eat more for less calories)
So, why does this matter?
Here's the good part!
The most recent studies show that of the people who die each year, 1 in 4 of those deaths is caused by cancer.
Over two thirds of that number is due to lack of exercise, smoking, or poor diet.
They found that those who ate 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day decrease their risk of cancer by a whopping 50%.
(*If you want the links, I'd be happy to send them to you. I just didn't want to bore you more with details about the study conducted. Just know it meets the criteria needed to be considered legit.)
Findings have also shown that for each serving of fruit/veggies a day, you decreases your risk of heart disease (the leading cause of death in the U.S.) by 3%.
Doesn't sound like much?
If you have 5 servings a day, you've decreased your risk by 15%!
Combine that with eating more whole grains and adding a handful of nuts here and there, and your on the road to living a life completely disease free.
Convinced yet?
I was. From all the studies that were shown, one thing became obvious:
You could literally put years onto your life by making an effort to get more fruits and veggies in a day.
As Jon listened to the lecture we had on this, I could literally feel his stress as he adjusted in his chair.
He knew I was right.
I knew I was right.
And we both knew I was gonna do something about it.
But I didn't want Jon to be miserable in the process.
Getting that many fruits and veggies in a day is not an easy task, especially if you are not used to it.
So I researched.
I tried lots of different fruit smoothies.
The first few I tried, were not that yummy.
They made me want to add a big scoop of vanilla ice-cream, but I knew that would be counter productive.
Finally, I stumbled across this recipe, and I haven't tried anything since.
The Perfect Fruit Smoothie
2/3 cup of low fat yogurt
1/2 cup of milk
1 Tbsp of orange juice
1/2 Tbsp of sugar
1 sliced banana
1 cup berry of your choice
(Strawberries, blackberries, or raspberries)
Slice up the fruit, throw everything in, blend it up, and you have one delicious and healthy fruit smoothie!
The best part of this smoothie is it is so quick and easy to make, it keeps you energized for at least a couple of hours, and it contains 3 servings of fruit!
Also, Jon really likes it!
Ca ching.
Try this smoothie, add a delicious salad loaded with veggies to one or two meals, and you've definitely passed the 5 servings mark:)
Try it!
Your life could depend on it.
Literally:)