Dr says DOUBLE my Fruit and Vegetable intake

silly double.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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