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Top 10 Reasons to try New Fruits and Veggies

  • Published
  • By Arielle “Dani” Lebovitz, MS, RDN, CSSD, LD, CDE
  • Robins Air Force Base Health and Wellness Center

Eat your fruits and veggies this month and join the Produce for Better Health Foundation’s September initiative Fruits & Veggies–More Matters campaign, a health initiative focused on helping Americans increase fruit & vegetable consumption for better health.

According the Produce for Better Health Foundation the average American consumes less than 2 cups of fruits and veggies each day when the recommendation is 4-5 cups.

Here are my top 10 Reasons to try New Fruits and Veggies:

  1. You might find a new favorite fruit or veggie such as star fruit or papaya – you won’t know if you like it until you try it!
  2. It’s fun to try new things! Experimenting with new fruits and veggies is a fun way to help you meet your recommended intake. Try adding a new fruit or vegetable to your shopping cart each grocery trip.
  3. Unique fruits and vegetables can create complex flavors and textures to everyday family favorites – add shitake or porcinis mushrooms to your pasta and transform the dish.
  4. Trying new produce can alleviate boredom from eating the same thing every day – you might find that you love the earthy, nutty flavor of artichoke or the sweet and sour taste of passion fruit.
  5. Budget friendly. Trying new fruits and vegetables that are in season can save you money!
  6. Helps you consume more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants because fruits and veggies of different colors provide your body with diverse phytonutrients to keep you healthy.
  7. Fruits and veggies can add bulk to meals without a huge impact on your pocketbook. Try adding something different such as butternut squash to your favorite chili recipe this fall.
  8. It can add a pop of color and excitement to your everyday favorites.  Try including deep-red-purple radicchio or baby beet greens to your next salad.
  9. Maximize nutrients by eating new fruits and veggies or trying new preparation techniques. Sometimes people may think they do not like a certain veggie because they didn’t like the way it was prepared AND some nutrients are more easily absorbed depending on the cooking method. This is especially true for lycopene in cooked tomatoes! 
  10. Legumes come in all shapes and sizes including soy in tofu, chick peas in hummus, lentils in pasta, and thousands of bean varieties to sample and explore.

If you don’t know how to pick or prepare produce visit fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org for inspiration and try something new today.