Dr says DOUBLE my Fruit and Vegetable intake

tecallahan

From the Mayo Clinic tips to increase good cholesterol -

Get more physical activity. Within two months of starting, frequent aerobic exercise can increase HDL cholesterol by about 5 percent in otherwise healthy sedentary adults. Your best bet for increasing HDL cholesterol is to exercise briskly for 30 minutes, five times a week. Examples of brisk, aerobic exercise include walking, running, cycling, swimming, playing basketball, raking leaves — anything that increases your heart rate. You can also break up your daily activity into three 10 minute segments if you're having difficulty finding time to exercise.

Choose healthier fats. A healthy diet includes some fat, but there's a limit. In a heart-healthy diet, between 25 and 35 percent of your total daily calories can come from fat — but saturated fat should account for less than 7 percent of your total daily calories. Avoid foods that contain saturated and trans fats, which raise LDL cholesterol and damage your blood vessels.

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats — found in olive, peanut and canola oils — tend to improve HDL's anti-inflammatory abilities. Nuts, fish and other foods containing omega-3 fatty acids are other good choices for improving your LDL cholesterol to HDL cholesterol ratio.

GouchisGirl

Drink some low Sodium V-8... its a quick and easy way to get those veggies in. OR if you want to skip all the additives invest in a juicer and make your own

kyle4jem

if your Dr told you to do this, how would you accomplish it? Do you have favorite vegetable/fruit recipes/sides you would share with me?

Outside of eating a salad at lunch every day, I am kind of lost as to how you double veggies and fruits. Oh, and I am a vegetarian, so doubling them is a HUGE amount of vegges/fruits!

My first question is why did your Dr recommend this? Was this your GP or a specialist/consultant?

If you're not a meat-eater and get most of your nutrition from eating fruit & veg then either you're not eating enough to sustain you (which is probably unlikely if you're on MFP unless you're getting big on carbs such as rice, pasta and bread)

I'd say we need more info here rather than shooting off random suggestions.

LilMissFoodie

I think it is entirely possible that the doctor hasn't taken into account how many fruit and veg you are already eating. Vegetarian does not necessarily equal high fruit and veg intake, actually I've met loads of vegetarians (as patients) that barely touch vegetables at all!

IrishChik

Drink some low Sodium V-8... its a quick and easy way to get those veggies in. OR if you want to skip all the additives invest in a juicer and make your own

This is what my Dr. told me to do.

meerkat70

I often have a plate of cucumber, carrot, cauliflower, mange tout, peppers, etc next to me while I'm working, with a light dip (e.g. half fat creme fraiche with a bit of garlic and herb) and will just munch my way through that while working. Stops me from going off snacking for unhealthy stuff, and maintains a good veg intake.

montiy

Yes, I'd also be curious to know how you're doing with exercise. I know that's one of the most important factors in raising your good cholesterol.

Bentley2718

do you like fruit juice? i think for most juices, 8oz is considered two servings.

Fruit juice is high in sugar, without much in the way of fiber. Not really recommended.

rainunrefined

green smooties are a great answer to your quest!

do a search...you'll be amazed at the combinations.

THIS

unmitigatedbadassery

I think opening up your diary would help everyone make suggestions. I know several vegetarians that don't eat enough veggies, they eat a ton of crap though. You say you eat a ton already so I have to take your word for it but it would be much easier if we could actually see what you're eating and maybe tweak it to be more veggie/fruit-centric.

Bentley2718

Wow, triple-time.

Bentley2718

silly double.

Bentley2718

...how to raise my GOOD Cholesterol. I have very low blood pressure, low bad cholesterol and A1C and Triglycerides but also have low good cholesterol and since baby #2 and being 35 am really struggling with losing weight.

I know that certain foods have healthier fats than others. My good cholesterol is low-normal, along with all my other blood lipid levels. In 2011, I made it a goal to eat more avocados and raw nuts to increase the "good" cholesterol a little.

Also, for increasing veggie intake, I often eat just sauteed or roasted veggies for dinner. For example, spinach or kale with a little olive oil, garlic, and chili flakes, with a side of roasted cauliflower. Sometimes I'll add some edamame or other beans for protein. Since there isn't a straight carb in this dinner, you have to eat a lot to fill you up, but it's veggies, so enjoy.

housegirl2

My guess there are some health reasons beyond just weight issues? So what fruits and veggies you eat can be as important as the # of servings so go for quality and # of servings. So if you like raw veggies broccoli buds, mini carrots with a yogurt bases dip as a salad/ snack is a good way. Your are getting vitamins, minerals etc. sweet potatoes or yams are a good way altho fried as french fries sort of negates the value! Stir fry (very light on the oil) is a good way to get a variety,roasted veggies are fantastic cooking them on a baking sheet sprayed with some cooking oil and tossed with some herbs like oregano or tarragon and cook at high temp of 400-450 for about 25-30 minutes til they get a little crispy and make sure garlic and onion are part of that veggie mix. Even doubling up on serving size of veggies like carrots, broccoli onions spinach etc if steamed or raw gives you all that nutrition with few calories. Remember a serving size of raw veggies is one cup, if cooked is 1/2 cup. Salad esp if just just iceberg has little nutritional value so try to eat "colors"- red, yellow orange and green. I just finished a class on healthy eating that my dr gives and she said they just raised the # of servings for veggies and lowered the # of servings for fruits. Fruits are easy in blended smoothies but can be added to plain yogurt, or salad. I love to add blue berries, apple pear strawberry or figs to a salad

housegirl2

oops doubled massage

JPDad

I think it is entirely possible that the doctor hasn't taken into account how many fruit and veg you are already eating. Vegetarian does not necessarily equal high fruit and veg intake, actually I've met loads of vegetarians (as patients) that barely touch vegetables at all!

Agreed.

Without knowing how many servings you are currently eating its hard to get the full picture. The recommended amount is also different depending on which county you live in. Going from the average recommended amount of 5 servings to 10 would not be that difficult, but going from 13 to 26 would be more challenging.

To echo the other posters, smoothies & salads are great ways to get a few servings in.

sassiebritches

Why is your doctor asking you to double your fruit and veggie intake? I am just curious, I could see him/her saying that if you were not a vegetarian, and maybe if you were a protein eater....but why double what you already do as a Vegatarian?????

Just curious. I would say you could take a Greens Supplement, I take on that is equal to 8 servings of fruits / veggies in 1 serving, you could do that 2 times a day I know of a great one if you need help picking a great one

I don't know how to ask the question to make more sense. You see I am a vegetarian. I eat a lot of vegetables and fruit. More than most (if not all) of the people I know.

Since I already do this, I am a bit overwhelmed about the idea of having to eat DOUBLE that amount and was hoping for suggestions for how to do that in a different way than I currently am.

I am already collecting recipes for the Green smoothies and next (after typing this) plan to look for a blender sale. Thank you so much for both of those suggestions!

maremare312

I turn normal dishes that have a little bit of veggies in them into mostly veggies. Scrambled eggs with veggies? I use mostly vegetables with just a little egg to hold them together. When I make "fried" rice it might be half a cup rice with two cups of vegetables. Pasta and veggies, etc etc.

InTenn

I don't understand the doctor's advice, but as long as it makes sense to you, that is all that matters. That said, flax seed is a good non-fish source of omega 3 fatty acid that supports increasing HDL. You can mix flax seed meal into cereal, smoothies, yogurt, oatmeal, casseroles... it is 30 calories per tablespoon, not bad given the fiber and nutrition it provides. Even so, as others have pointed out, increasing your exercise will help the HDL as well.

FoxyMcDeadlift

Fruit juice and smoothies are empty calories. If i had to double my intake, i'd just eat more broccoli cauliflower, spinach etc. All calorie light and packed with nutrients