Dr says DOUBLE my Fruit and Vegetable intake

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

stylistchik

I'm also vegetarian and I try to make half my meals vegetables. If I'm making pasta or rice, I add sauteed spinach or broccoli to the sauce. You can bulk up any meal with chopped onions, celery, carrots, tomatoes, etc. I use a vegetable peeler to shred zucchini and squash and use half of that with my noodles for meals without a lot of extra veggies. Sneak them in wherever you can, it doesn't have to be a big event. It makes everything much more flavorful, too!

LeanMeanFitnessMachine

Smoothies are great for doubling fruit intake - you can get 3-4 servings of fruit in one drink! In my smoothies, I toss in a banana, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and a scoop of protien powder.

As for veggies - soups and stir frys are great for that! Toss some chicken, broccoli, corn, peppers, and onions in a frying pan with a side of green beans and wahlah! You have yourself a veggie packed lunch or dinner.

southerlandsr

Irishchick,
I think your vegetable intake is exuding through your beautiful skin. Your pic encourages me to start eating more yams and spinach lol

athensguy

If you are not eating enough veggies, then eat more. However, if raising your HDL is the only reason you're supposed to be changing your diet, does the doctor have any reason to ask you to do that?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/17/health/research/hdl-good-cholesterol-found-not-to-cut-heart-risk.html?_r=0

Meg_78

Soup. and veggie stews, veggie patties, you can use a ton of mixed veg in them and they all cook down.
Fruit smoothies, fruit salad, home made compote, dried fruit.

bcattoes

I couldn't double my veggies every day. I've been tracking vegetable/fruit servings for a wellness thing at work and some days I eat 10 or more servings. Some days not so much. My average for the past 5 weeks has been 7.5 servings per day.

I love roasted veggies. Just about any non-leafy non-dried bean vegetable is good roasted. Just peel and chop (if necessary), put in a large bowl, drizzle with oil, add spices of your choice and roast in the oven at 375 - 400 F until they are softened (but not mushy) and browned.

Stir fry is another favorite way to prepare veggies. Many vegetables and soft fruits are excellent on the grill - squash of any kind, brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, asparagus, peaches, pineapple, onions, tomatoes, etc.

Greens such as cabbage, collards, kale, chard, mustard, beet and/or turnip greens are wonderful sautéed in olive oil and garlic.

Add heaping handfuls of leafy greens to wraps. Soft dark greens such as kale, arugula, watercress and spinach are great on pizza or stirred into a pasta sauce.

And grain, pasta or spaghetti squash salads with plenty of chopped vegetables such as cucumber, onion, peppers, carrots, celery, kohlrabi, jicama, tomatoes, etc. and dried beans are super yummy.

Soups, chilis or stews are also a great place to load to up on vegetables.

wolfchild59

green smooties are a great answer to your quest!

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

I agree with this. The green smoothie that I made for today has the following in it:

75g Spinach
75g Kale
28g Unsweetened Vanilla Protein Powder
125g Cucumber
80g Broccoli (I usually do more on this, but I only had 160g left and split it evenly)
110g Carrots
90g Green Bell Pepper
100g Fresh Pineapple
25g Blueberries
57g Strawberries
Juice of one Lemon
10g Hydrated Chia Seeds

Blend it all up with two cups of water and you have two giant servings of smoothie for 204 calories each serving. I usually make a double batch like this to last me two days. But I've also been known to just have both servings on a single day.

And this is just what I threw together last night with what I had on hand in the fridge. I love green smoothies and pretty much just put together any combo of Spinach and Kale, with three to four additional veggies, then two-three fruits and it always turns out. Sometimes I'll do a cup of water and a cup of fresh carrot juice instead of the two cups of water, or even a cup of unsweetened almond milk and a cup of water. I really only put in enough fruit to give them a sweetness and try to make the bulk of it veggies.

RedBullLiz

Ooo, nice. I've always loved snacking on pineapple and grapes. Strawberries & blueberries in yogurt.
Veggies in all meals!! As much as I hate having to cut 'em and make 'em look nice on the plate, it's totally worth the effort once you eat them. If you think veggies are too "alone", add a topping - like PB or dressing. Definitely hits the spot.

You can always smash the fruits up yourself like back in the old days LOL!! Food processor, I think you can. Isn't that way to make almond milk?? I'm sure it'll work.

Veggies in EVERYTHING. Can't stress that enough.

sweetpotatofry

Green smoothies are awesome, though it sounds like you're already eating a lot of fruits and veggies so maybe the problem lies elsewhere (despite what your doctor advised)? Have you tried upping your fat intake? I know I lose more easily when eating less fruit and more healthy fats, like from avocados.

blondeski

soup, veggies and hummus, steamed veggies, veggies in eggs... I eat a fruit or veggie at every meal now that I think about it.
if you are stressing about too much food, have smaller portions and eat more often. every 2-3 hours is best. this is a sample of a pretty normal day for me:

breakfast: smoothie- either blueberry, or peanut butter banana
2nd breakfast: omelet with onions, garlic, peppers
lunch: salad- baby spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, other things I may want
snack: hummus with veggies (or bean dip with veggies)
snack: apple
dinner: a protein with brussel sprouts, beets, sweet potato