National Fruits and Veggies Month

September is National Fruits and Veggies Month and we are celebrating by trying to help you find easy, realistic and delicious ways to increase their daily intake of delicious and healthy fruits and vegetables.

Disclosure – This post was originally posted here on The Domestic Dietitian in 2020, but has been updated and reposted.

Cause for Celebration

I know it seems like every week there is a different “national (fill in the blank) day”. Everything from National Spinach Day to National Blueberry Pancakes with Maple Syrup Day. It’s a lot.

However, the Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) has established September as National Fruits and Veggies month and that is something I definitely support!

Fruit and Vegetable Intake in USA

A diet rich in fruits and veggies can help lower blood pressure, prevent certain cancers, and reduce the risk of strokes and heart disease. That’s extremely important because heart disease is still the LEADING cause of death in the United States, even though 80% of cardiovascular events are PREVENTABLE with diet and lifestyle changes.

Fruits and vegetables are also full of vitamins, minerals, phytochemical and powerful antioxidants. They support everything from our eye sight to our immune system.

Despite these benefits, Americans just aren’t reaching their recommended daily intake for either fruits nor veggies.

According to a report published by the CDC in 2018,

only 1 in 10 US Adults eat the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables

Youth intake of fruits and vegetables is just as low, with only 2% of high school students meeting their daily veggie intake and only 9% getting their daily intake of fruits.

What are the Current Fruit & Vegetable Recommendations?

According to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, it is recommended that adults consume the following each day –

• 1.5 – 2 cups of fruits
• 2-3 cups of veggies

The Mediterranean Diet Guidelines recommend including fruits and vegetables at most meals, with a strong emphasis on incorporating a lot more plant based meals into your diet.

Tips for Eating More Fruits & Veggies

Some simple tips for getting more fruits and vegetables each day include –

• adding spinach or greens to morning smoothies
• piling on the veggies at lunch like lettuce, cucumber, and sprouts on top of a turkey sandwich
• mixing fruit (fresh or frozen) into yogurt for an easy parfait
• picking a new vegetable at the store each week and finding new ways to prepare it
• making veggies the star of the show once a week at dinner with a Meatless Monday inspired meal
• roast a whole sheet pan of veggies once a week to have on hand to add to meals last minute
• set out a veggie tray while you are cooking dinner to snack on
• mixing together a homemade trail mix with dried fruit like apricots, cranberries or cherries
• incorporating fruit into sweets, like grilled peaches with yogurt or fruit salad with mint

Have A Plant Pledge

In an effort to help everyone incorporate more fruits and veggies into their lifestyles, the PBH put together a fun movement called the Have A Plant Challenge. This year, they are encouraging us to use our imagination and get ready to experience fruits and vegetables around the globe. In honor of the United Nations General Assembly designating 2021 the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables, this year’s celebration will include exciting digital and social activations, globally-inspired content, recipes and more.

I encourage you to take the Have A Plant Pledge and challenge yourself to add one more fruit and vegetable to your normal routine, everyday, all month long.

The Have A Plant website is also filled with tons of great resources, recipes and information all about fruits and vegetables.

Some of Our Favorite Mediterranean Diet Fruit and Vegetable Recipes

These are some of my favorite mediterranean inspired fruit and vegetable recipes from the blog. Hopefully you will love them too. We’ll be sharing lots more tips and recipes this month for increasing those fruits and veggies.

Summer Peach and Couscous Salad with Pistachios

Mediterranean Diet Protein Power Plant Bowl

6 Greek Yogurt Breakfast Bowl Ideas

Greek Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette

Grilled Peaches with Ice Cream, Honey and Thyme

Crispy Brussels Sprouts with Parmesan