7 Day Challenge: Fruits and Veggies

Okay first I apologize for the delay in this post and not having it all ready to roll on Monday.  The holiday weekend was crazy, as I am sure it was for all of you.  So our challenge for this week is to get at least one serving of fruits or veggies with every meal!   For those of you following on our Facebook challenge group I did announce this on Monday so I have been doing it for the last day and half with some of you.  I have eaten a lot of apples as they are so simple an easy to keep with me but I am hoping to expand into a few other fruits and veggies during the week.  Variety is the best way to go here!  Eat the rainbow!

Why do we do this?

Well fruits and veggies are a great source of fiber and we should be consuming a minimum of 25 grams per day.  So with all that fiber they help you to be more regular (I know soo gross that we are talking about poop, but everyone does it), in the book Beauty Detox Foods the author Kimberly Snyder talks about how much of our health shows in how regular our bowel movements are.  A quote from the intro of her book " Contracting viruses and getting seriously ill on two separate occasions in Nepal and India, I ended up under the care of doctors in both countries = and both experiences made me seriously consider different approaches to health care than what we have in the United states.  These doctors asked me something no Western doctor had ever brought up.  To be blunt, in both cases their first question was about my poop.  At first I was confused, then slightly embarrassed, then confused again as to why they were talking about "toxins" rather than just jamming pills at me like the doctors back home. They gave me a suppository and advised me that I would not heal until toxins were forced to exit my body.  In India , a common saying is that "Constipation is the mother of all disease."  Indians stress the importance of correcting the root cause, while int he United States, we focus on a pill-popping strategy after troubles arise, and then spend more money on digestive aids (antacids, laxatives and the like) than on any other over-the-counter medication."   They are also full of vitamins and antioxidants that help our bodies to  repair damage and oxidation, and also to help us age more gracefully.  Beauty Detox Foods also states that in her program "You are going to be eating an abundance and array of plant foods, which contain a plentiful supply of complex phytonutrients, including vitamins, minerals, fiber and enzymes that nature creates in perfect ratios.  It will feel right to you, as you continue along the path because deep down, Beauty Detox principles and foods resonate with your intuitive connection with nature.  As you go back to your natural way of eating, you'll become more naturally beautiful."  This is an excellent book as well with lots of great information on what certain fruits and veggies do to help your body.   I cannot remember where I read this, but one study showed that one of the only things we can do as prevention to help to prevent cancer of any type is to eat more fruits and vegetables!!! 

I also notice on weeks when I am eating more fruit and veggies that I have more energy, and I feel better.  In the book Eat and Run  By Scott Jurek he talks about converting slowly over to a vegan diet and how he felt so much better.  He used food a lot as his medicine and ate things to help his body heal.  It is amazing how much a good clean diet can help you  heal.  I loved this book so much and at the end he actually provided some recipes.

So eat up!!! I would love to hear how this goes for you this week!