Raise Your Snack Game

Quick Win

Colorful fruits and vegetables aren’t just easy on the eyes. They are packed with nutrients that are good for your health! Keep these simple, fresh snacks on hand for the whole family.

Try This Today

• Fruit salad. Combine fruits like apples, oranges, kiwi and blueberries.
• Multicolored veggie dip. Chop up an assortment of veggies, like carrots, celery, red or yellow peppers, snap peas and jicama. Pair with hummus or nut butter.
• Avocado toast. Top whole-grain toast with avocado and other veggies, like cherry tomatoes or radishes.
• Rainbow skewers. Place a variety of colorful fruits or soft veggies on a skewer.
• Tropical parfait. Combine Greek yogurt with a rainbow of fruits.
• Smoothie. Whip up a quick smoothie with frozen fruit and greens along with yogurt, cottage cheese or milk. 

Why

Only about 1 in 10 American adults eat the recommended amount of vegetables and fruit, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Working more of these beneficial foods into your diet, for both meals and snacks, can help ensure you’re getting important nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and fiber—as well as plant pigments like carotenoids and flavonoids. These compounds not only give foods like blueberries, carrots and spinach their vibrant colors but also have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in the body, which may help prevent chronic illness, according to a 2021 report in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. A study published in 2021 in Neurology followed tens of thousands of people for more than 20 years in the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. Those who ate more flavonoid-rich foods — such as strawberries, oranges, grapefruits, citrus juices, apples/pears, celery, peppers and bananas — had lower cognitive decline.