Guide: Eat more fruits and vegetables

Eating a diet that is rich in vegetables and fruits can help you maintain a healthy weight, an important part of lowering your cancer risk. In addition, many fruits and vegetables can help reduce inflammation.

Follow these smart fruit and vegetable tips to get the most nutrients from your produce.

Don’t overcook them. Even better – eat them raw. Cooking fruits and vegetables at high temperatures, or for long cooking times, can destroy some of their nutrients. Instead of cooking fruits and vegetables in boiling water, try steaming them to preserve nutrients.  

Wash your fruits and vegetables to remove dirt, bacteria and chemicals from the surface. You also can peel fruits and vegetables, but you might lose some fiber and nutrients.

Freeze them. This will help extend the shelf life of your fruits and vegetables. But not all produce freezes well. This is true for veggies with high water content, like lettuce, celery and cabbage. Instead, freeze starchy vegetables like pumpkin, peas and chickpeas. They change very little when defrosted.

Season them. Instead of salt, use fresh herbs and spices like dill, basil and oregano to add flavor to fruits and vegetables. You also can sprinkle a little grated parmesan or Romano cheese for extra taste.

Print the vegetables and fruit guide.