March is Dietitians of Canada’s National Nutrition Month. This year’s theme – Stay Active. Eat Like a Champion. – sets the stage to address some common misconceptions about nutrition and healthy eating for active lifestyles.

Below are some tips for eating more fruit and vegetables.

• Be sure to eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables outlined in Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide. Eat at least one dark green and one orange vegetable each day.
• Enjoy soups often – it could be a broth soup with lots of vegetables or a soup made from pureed vegetables such as squash, broccoli, carrot or red pepper. You can even experiment with soups using fruits such as melon and apple.
• Keep frozen peas, beans, corn or mixed vegetables in the freezer to steam or microwave as part of a meal or for a quick addition to stews, stir-fries, chili or soups.
• Make a fruit salad at least once a week with a mix of different fruits such as apples, berries, oranges, grapefruit, melons, peaches, pears or pineapple. Use a combination of fresh or canned fruit. Add a splash of citrus juice to keep it fresh. Having it ready-to-go will ensure it gets eaten.
• Keep a variety of raw vegetables cut and washed in the fridge for quick snacks. The choices are endless – carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, peppers of any colour, radishes, cherry tomatoes, turnip, etc.
• Throw berries into cereal, muffins and pancake batter, or on a salad. Add grated vegetables, such as carrot, zucchini and beets, to muffins and cakes.
• Whirl up a smoothie using 1/2 cup (125ml) of milk or orange juice, a 6 oz (175ml) container of flavoured yogurt, and 1/2 cup (125ml) of fruit in a blender.
• Pack fruits and vegetables to take for snacks or lunch every day. Wash and cut them in advance, and carry in small plastic bags or containers. This preparation will help increase the odds that it will get eaten.
• Try different vegetable combinations to make a stir-fry more exciting. Use green vegetables like broccoli, celery, green beans and green peppers. Try a three-pepper stir-fry with red, green and yellow peppers.
• Enhance bottled or canned tomato sauces with extra vegetables such as peppers, carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, onions or zucchini. Grating them finely into the sauce can sometimes get them past children who might not be eating many vegetables.

For more information on nutrition, visit www.dietitians.ca.