Fruit & Veggie 1-Day Challenge – Saturday Feb 9, 2013

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:flowerforyou: Often we need a bit of a motivational "BOOST". In my case this happens especially when the scale has not moved much. I find that a challenge helps get my but in gear. :laugh: :laugh:

This one-day challenge is meant for those who would like to increase their fruit and veggie consumption and create an awareness of their nutritional values. This is a weekly challenge for 2013! (And it does not have to be Saturday, it can be any day of the week.)

I recently learned that the recommendation is to eat at least 9 servings of veggies/fruit per day:tongue::tongue: Wow, that seems like a lot for anyone who is not used to eating vegan or vegetarian.

Here is how the challenge works:
-SUBSTITUTE any (or all) of the starch / meat / dairy food portion in a meal with Fresh Vegetables (where possible)
-EAT vegetables and/or fruit at every meal and snack time for the day.
-Have only (fresh) fruits or vegetables for snacks
-Drink 8oz of water and stay away from alcohol / soft drinks
-Aim for 30g of fiber for the day

-Use common sense - Retrain your Senses !! (If you can't do a whole day, do one meal)

YOU decide to be in! YOU benefit!
1. Post if you are in and what you are going to do for the day
2. Report back how you did at the end of the day or – also good - the next morning!

Good luck everyone!
Rebel Renny
From Vancouver Island, BC, Canada

p.s. For some this approach creates a cleanse... especially if you have not been used to a high fiber intake.

Replies

  • mouth5667
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    I'm in. I am ahead of the game. I have my vegetables already to use in the fridge and a menu planned. My "problem meal" will be tommorrow night. We are going to our church Valentines banquet and I have seen the menu. I will just do my best!

    I would like to add that, for what ever reason, this challenge has truely been helpful to me. I found that once I tried it and discovered how full I stayed and how much better I felt, I started working more and more into my daily routine. It has certainly been an eye opener for me. I'm not perfect, nor will I ever be but this has really helped get me on the right track! Thanks!!

    Lori H.
  • 50ishFoodie
    50ishFoodie Posts: 82 Member
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    I will try. I've been doing really well with this during the week. Thanks for the motivation!
  • BrotherBill913
    BrotherBill913 Posts: 661 Member
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    I eat a ton of vegetables to start with and just stocked up!!! give you the report later :)
  • josiereside
    josiereside Posts: 720 Member
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    I think I may do this Tuesday...
  • josiereside
    josiereside Posts: 720 Member
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    Can the veges be cooked??
  • RebelRenny
    RebelRenny Posts: 1,073 Member
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    Can the veges be cooked??

    :flowerforyou: does not matter - cooked or raw veggies. The idea is to get people thinking of veggies and fruits, instead of prepared foods, junk food, high starch foods, etc.

    I suggest to make the veggie consumption at least half raw, e.g. have a large salad :drinker:

    Eat 4 servings of fruit and 5 servings of veggies each day at a minimum.

    Good luck and report back how you did! Would love to hear your experiences.

    Renny
  • RebelRenny
    RebelRenny Posts: 1,073 Member
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    :tongue: I had forgotten about my own challenge!!! Had a sudden sleepover by lil grandson, who was up at 5:30AM:ohwell: so my breakfast was not what I would have intended. Oh well.

    breakfast: egg, oatmeal, coffee
    snack: orange, kiwi
    lunch: 9-bean ragu
    snack: blueberries, banana
    dinner: huge salad

    :bigsmile: I had a glass of wine somewhere in there, but also drank lots of water.

    :flowerforyou: I had my 10K training clinic this morning, and a nap this afternoon :laugh: :laugh:

    Hope you all had a good day too!
    :heart: Renny
    Vancouver Island, BC
  • mouth5667
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    Breakfast:
    Light and Fit Yogurt with peaches and blueberries

    Lunch:
    Hummus, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, and greek olive wrap
    Celery sticks
    Cherry tomatoes

    Dinner (Valentine banquet at our church):
    Salad with sliced almonds, raspberries, and raspberry vinegarette
    Asparagus
    Carrots
    Bread stick (wish they hadn't put that on the table........I caved!)
    Chicken stuffed with bruschetta

    Dessert:
    Vanilla cupcake (with frosting)
    2 little cream cheese mints like they serve at weddings

    Considering that there was also a steak medalion and an orzo pasta with alfredo sauce on my plate too, I think I did pretty good at dinner and actually for the day. Dessert was not the best choice but I did manage to allow for the calories. :wink:
  • RebelRenny
    RebelRenny Posts: 1,073 Member
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    I started off with a fruit / cottage cheese for breakfast today - making up for yesterday's forgetfulness.:bigsmile:
  • alf1163
    alf1163 Posts: 3,143 Member
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    This is what I have been looking for!!!! I eat pretty clean most days of the week if not all but I do know I need to increase my servings of fruit and veggies, especially. Now, this is not a "say no to protein kinda challenge" right? I do like eating my protein, lean protein that is or supplement with whey protein etc. Also, are frozen veggies acceptable? Sometimes due to lack of time or preparation I have to use frozen veggies. I try to stay away from the ones that are seasoned. This is only one day a week? I'd like to do this daily. Right now I pretty much have some fruit with every meal, might not be an entire serving size though. I usually have a salad for lunch and some veggies with dinner, but again might be skimping on the recommended serving size. Thanks for the challenge!! :flowerforyou:
  • josiereside
    josiereside Posts: 720 Member
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    Okay, i am giving this a shot today... just had my hot lemon water and coffee now heading for a big bowl of canteloupe... I know I will probably be having more fruit than veges but will definitely fit in a big salad and cucumber/peppers as snacks.
  • josiereside
    josiereside Posts: 720 Member
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    This was not for me... I gave it the old college try but having some protein for dinner...
  • RebelRenny
    RebelRenny Posts: 1,073 Member
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    This was not for me... I gave it the old college try but having some protein for dinner...

    :flowerforyou: Hi there, good for you for trying, but I think you may be somewhat confused as to how this works. You don't need to give up protein. Just increase (increase) your fruit and veggie intake. You also don't need to do this for a whole day, you can start with one meal. It is all about learning about putting good nutrition into your body. Nuts and seeds and legumes are also a great source of protein. So go ahead and eat.

    Let me know how that works and all the best to you. :smile:

    Renny
  • josiereside
    josiereside Posts: 720 Member
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    This was not for me... I gave it the old college try but having some protein for dinner...

    :flowerforyou: Hi there, good for you for trying, but I think you may be somewhat confused as to how this works. You don't need to give up protein. Just increase (increase) your fruit and veggie intake. You also don't need to do this for a whole day, you can start with one meal. It is all about learning about putting good nutrition into your body. Nuts and seeds and legumes are also a great source of protein. So go ahead and eat.

    Let me know how that works and all the best to you. :smile:

    Renny

    I think you are correct... I misunderstood.. I thought I was to have nothing but fruits and veges for one day.... At least my calories were low yesterday !
  • RebelRenny
    RebelRenny Posts: 1,073 Member
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    This is what I have been looking for!!!! I eat pretty clean most days of the week if not all but I do know I need to increase my servings of fruit and veggies, especially. Now, this is not a "say no to protein kinda challenge" right? I do like eating my protein, lean protein that is or supplement with whey protein etc. Also, are frozen veggies acceptable? Sometimes due to lack of time or preparation I have to use frozen veggies. I try to stay away from the ones that are seasoned. This is only one day a week? I'd like to do this daily. Right now I pretty much have some fruit with every meal, might not be an entire serving size though. I usually have a salad for lunch and some veggies with dinner, but again might be skimping on the recommended serving size. Thanks for the challenge!! :flowerforyou:

    Hi alf1163 - You are correct on all accounts!! Nice going :flowerforyou:
  • alf1163
    alf1163 Posts: 3,143 Member
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    Well, I've managed to increase consumption of fruits and veggies every day since Monday!!! If I'm not mistaken my food diary is public so you can take a look at it. But it is pretty much like this:

    Breakfast: Oatmeal at least 5 days a week with a svg of fruit, usually strawberries or blueberries, whey protein, ground flax, sometimes 1 tbsp of natural peanut butter or almond butter, skim milk or unsweetened almond milk.
    am snack: a protein such as nonfat greek yogurt, fruit and nuts
    lunch: big salad with a lean protein and some fruit
    pm snack: a cheese stick and fruit, might add some nuts
    dinner: veggies either raw (salad) or cooked veggies (steamed or stir fried, might be frozen) with a lean meat

    I might be eating too many svgs of fruit compared to veggies...I would like to add more veggies to my bkfast and/or snacks but dont have the creativity, LOL Usually my snacks are eaten on the go so the cheese sticks and fruits are more convenient to eat. Breakfast, I love love love oatmeal so I am having a hard time adding a veggie to that meal. I do if I eat eggs or have a shake which I then add, usually, a cup of frozen spinach. Suggestions? I bought some hummus to use with some veggies but ran out of celery, carrots, and peppers etc to go with it. Time to go to the store!! :flowerforyou:
  • RebelRenny
    RebelRenny Posts: 1,073 Member
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    :flowerforyou: Link to this week's challenge: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/894487-fruit-veggie-1-day-challenge-saturday-feb-16-2013?page=1#posts-13522213

    See you there.:drinker: :drinker: