Fruits and Veggies - Quick Tips

	What are some quick and easy ways that I can add fruits and vegetables into my diet?
	Try these! Add fruit to your breakfast cereal or oatmeal (not just bananas, but also try apples, grapes, berries, peaches, or mandarin oranges) Snack on mini-carrots or dried fruit at work instead of candy. Add to your take-out dinner with fruits and vegetables from home. Microwave a vegetable to add to your dinner or eat some fruit for dessert. For more quick and easy tips, check out the Tips section.
	What are some quick and tasty ways to prepare fruits and vegetables?
	Here are some no-hassle, quick ways to get delicious fruits and vegetables on the table. Salads and Sides: Open and rinse cans of kidney beans, wax beans, chickpeas, and green beans, and toss with a low-fat or fat-free vinaigrette for an ultra-fast bean salad. Try adding fresh herbs to vegetables before you roast, stir-fry, or steam them. For example, tomatoes go well with basil and oregano, and carrots go well with dill. Broil sliced vegetables such as zucchini, bell peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes for just a few minutes until they blacken around the edges. Serve warm with a low-calorie dressing of lemon juice, low-fat or fat-free mayonnaise, and black pepper. Entrees: Add 1-2 cups of frozen vegetables to canned soup before heating; serve on top of rice in a shallow bowl. Use a 12-inch, pre-baked packaged pizza crust to create a 20-minute dinner; add sliced zucchini, fresh spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic, onion, and low-fat cheese and bake at 400º F until the cheese bubbles. Add grapes, sliced apples, and pears to a chicken salad made with low-fat or fat-free mayonnaise. Add tomatoes, radishes, and green bell peppers to a tuna salad made with low-fat or fat-free mayonnaise. 1 Top broiled lean meat, chicken, or fish with salsa. Each 1/2 cup of salsa counts as a 1/2 cup toward meeting your daily vegetable needs. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advise women of childbearing age who may become pregnant, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children to avoid some types of fish and shellfish and eat fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury. For more information, call FDA's information line toll-free at 1-888-SAFEFOOD or visit FDA's and EPA's What You Need to Know About Mercury in Fish and Shellfish.

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