Eat More Fruits and Veggies to Fight Cancer

What you put on your plate could help you beat cancer many health experts believe. Eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day could decrease overall cancer rates by 20%, claims the American Institute for Cancer Research.

Five servings may sound like a lot, but it isn't really. Here are some tips for getting them all in.

• Wake up healthy. Add some fruit to your breakfast. Have a glass of 100% fruit juice or add some fruit to your cereal or yogurt. In a hurry? Toss the juice, yogurt and fruit into the blender and drink a delicious, nutritious smoothie on your way to work.
• Snack on fruit. Deep six the vending machine candy bars and chips. Take an apple or a baggie of dried fruit with you when you go out. Grapes, baby carrots and cherry tomatoes make great healthy snacks too.
• Pile on the veggies. At lunch, load up on veggies. Toss them onto your salad, layer them on your sandwich, pile them on top of your pizza, or add them to your pasta.
• Fruit for dessert. Sweet and juicy, fruit makes a healthy and satisfying dessert. Add sliced strawberries to plain or frozen yogurt, try a baked apple with cinnamon, or dress up a bowl of sliced fresh fruit with a dollop of low-fat whipped topping.
• Keep it interesting. Try something new like papaya or kiwi or those cute little melons. Add radicchio or yellow bell peppers to your salad. Don't be afraid to experiment.

I clean and prep my fruits and veggies when I get home from the grocery. It makes it easy to grab a quick, healthy snack or throw together a great salad in nothing flat. Without much effort you can pump up your daily fruit and vegetable intake and fight cancer at the same time.