Written by: Kirby Stanton RDN, LDN Food City Registered Dietitian 

The back-to-school season means planning nutritious meals and snacks to provide the right fuel for growing, learning, and developing. For kids and adults alike, eating more fruits and vegetables at every meal is important for health.   The more exposure and exploration kids have with foods can increase intake in the long term. Recent studies show 60% of children do not eat enough fruit and 93% do not eat enough vegetables. Focus on featuring more fruits and vegetables and try these tips for shopping and meal planning: 

 

CREATE A COLORFUL CART

Prioritizing adding more plants to your shopping cart is a great starting point but aim to vary colors to optimize intake of phytonutrients. Phytonutrients in food come in all different colors—green, yellow-orange, red, blue-purple, and white. To promote good health, it is important to eat fruits and vegetables of varied colors each day. Plan for at least 4 fresh vegetables and 3 fresh fruit choices per week.

 

STOCK UP ON STAPLES

Create a routine of keeping produce staples stocked. Choose versatile picks that can be featured in a variety of dishes and require minimal planning and prep. What works for each household will vary but keeping track of frequently purchased choices can help you stay cognizant of keeping them on hand. 

Favorite plant forward picks for the pantry include canned beans, canned diced tomatoes, canned pineapple, frozen stir-fry veggies, frozen chopped broccoli, and frozen mixed berries. 

 

PICK TIME SAVING SOLUTIONS 

Life gets hectic and if produce tends to slip from the plate when you are busy plan for time saving choices. Pick up prewashed lettuce and greens and precut fruits and vegetables. Shelf stable frozen and canned fruits and vegetables can also cut down on prep time and can reduce food waste. 

Shop Food City ShortCuts for time saving recipe ready fruits and vegetables. 

 

PRIORITIZING PLANNING

Take time to plan a few meals and snacks featuring fruits and vegetables before you shop. Planning can help add more variety to meals and can take the stress out of what to make each day.  If you are looking to save money and be inspired for weekly planning, check out weekly advertisement to see featured sale items. This can help jump start creating a list of items for the week.  By planning a list and grouping food categories this can ensure you are prioritizing produce picks each week. 

Shop like a dietitian with these produce picks: 

Dark leafy greens: serve up in a salad or blend into soups or sauces

Sweet potatoes: dice and roast in the oven with warming spices; add to chili or serve up as a side dish

Bell peppers: perfect for an afternoon snack or try in a sauté with beef, chicken, fish or pork 

Cauliflower: add a flavorful seasoning and steam, roast, grill, or add to the air fry 

Berries: keep rinsed berries in the fridge or add to the freezer for a cold treat at snack time 

Apples: perfect for eating on the go or slicing and adding a dip for snack time 

Oranges: try clementines for a portable and kid friendly snack