What is one effective way to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet?

Using fruits and vegetables as side dishes is an effective way to incorporate more of them into your diet because it encourages variety and increases overall consumption. This approach allows you to pair these nutrient-dense foods with your meals, enhancing not just the nutritional value but also the flavor and color of your plates. Side dishes can be easily prepared in a range of ways—raw, steamed, roasted, or sautéed—thus making it more appealing and convenient to include a wider variety of fruits and vegetables in your daily meals.

In contrast, relying on fruits mainly as desserts may limit your intake to sweet dishes, potentially missing out on the diverse ways to consume vegetables. Eating fruits and vegetables only once a day restricts their health benefits, which are best achieved through regular, consistent consumption. Relying solely on fruit juices can also be misleading; while juices can provide some nutrients, they often lack the fiber found in whole fruits and vegetables, which is important for digestion and overall well-being.