Key points
- Eating vegetables and fruits has many health benefits, including helping to lose or maintain weight.
- You can create healthier versions of some of your favorite dishes by substituting vegetables and fruits in place of other ingredients.
Benefits of vegetables and fruits
Increasing vegetables and fruits in your diet has many health benefits. They provide essential vitamins and minerals, fiber, and other substances important for good health.
Vegetables and fruits help you feel full and can reduce your hunger. The water and fiber in vegetables and fruits can slow digestion and help to lower blood sugar. Vegetables and fruits are also lower in calories. Learn more about the benefits of healthy eating.
Vegetables and fruits may help you maintain a healthy weight
Vegetables and fruits, as well as other plant-based foods, may help you maintain a healthy weight. Be aware not all plant foods are equal. Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, and nuts can aid with weight and metabolism. However, fried vegetables, including fried potatoes, are associated with weight gain.
You can create healthier versions of some of your favorite dishes by substituting vegetables and fruits in place of highly processed or calorie-dense ingredients. Read below for more tips.
Ways to eat more vegetables and fruits throughout the day
Vegetables and fruits can reduce the total calories in your meal without reducing the amount of food you eat.
Breakfast—start the day right
Substitute part of your morning omelet or cheesy egg scramble with spinach, onions, mushrooms, garlic, tomatoes, peppers, or your other favorite vegetables. Add black pepper, salsa, or hot sauce for extra flavor. The vegetables will add texture and volume.
Cut back on the amount of cereal in your bowl to make room for bananas, peaches, strawberries, or blueberries—fresh or frozen. Including fruit with your breakfast increases the nutritional value and fills you without adding too many extra calories.
Lighten up your lunch
Add crunch to your sandwich, wrap, or burrito by swapping some of the higher-calorie ingredients with diced, sliced, or chopped leafy greens (romaine or iceberg lettuce, spinach, arugula, or cabbage), tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, or your other favorite vegetables. Or try a broth-based vegetable soup instead of a calorie-dense cream-based soup.
Complete your lunch with a piece of fruit instead of a cookie or a bag of salty chips.
Dinner
Make at least half your dinner a variety of colorful, nutrient-dense vegetables and fruits. Try using different spices and herbs instead of higher-calorie dressings to change up your regular go-to meals.
Or replace 1 cup of rice or pasta in your favorite dish with 1 cup of vegetables such as broccoli, squash, or peppers. The dish with the vegetables will be just as filling but will have fewer calories than the same amount of the original version.
The total number of calories you eat counts, even if a good proportion of them come from vegetables and fruits.
You can also cap off your healthy, nutrient-dense dinner with a colorful fruit salad for dessert. Remember to use a normal- or small-sized plate—not a platter.
Smart snacks
Avoid highly processed packaged, prepared, ready-to-eat, or other foods that are salty or sweet, such as chips, cookies, and candy that have added sugars and salt. Instead, prioritize nutrient-dense foods and home-prepared foods. If you are aiming for snacks with about 100 calories, consider:
- 1 medium apple
- 1 medium banana
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 cup grapes
- 2 tablespoons of hummus with:
- 1 cup carrots
- 1 cup broccoli or
- 1 cup bell peppers
- Dried fruits or vegetables, such as:
- 4–5 dried apricot halves
- 2–3 medium dates
- 2 medium dried figs
- ½ cup dried mixed vegetables
- ⅔ cup edamame
- ¼ cup roasted chickpeas
- Nuts, such as:
- 25 roasted pistachios
- 22 roasted peanuts
- 12–14 roasted almonds
- 10 pecan halves
- 6 walnut halves
More tips
Eat whole vegetables and fruits in their original form. Wash thoroughly prior to eating raw or cooking. Also, eating raw fruit lets you enjoy its natural sweetness.
Flavor with vinegar-based dressings, spices, and herbs. Try flavored vinegars or make a vinegarette at home. Yogurt or tahini (or other seed or nut butters) are excellent bases for dressings that add protein. Be mindful of the amount of calorie-dense dressings you use.
Canned or frozen vegetables and fruits are also good options. Frozen or canned vegetables and fruits can be just as nutritious as the fresh varieties. However, be careful to choose those without added salt, sugar, or syrup.
Choose whole fruits over fruit juices. It is better to eat whole fruits because they contain fiber that helps you feel full. Many fruit juices contain little to no fiber, so you don't feel as full when you drink them. Avoid sugar-sweetened beverages, such as fruit drinks, because they contain added sugars.
Steam or use an air fryer to cook vegetables. Avoid breading and frying because they can reduce the nutritional quality of foods.
