For some college students, even in this season of spooks and ghouls, nothing is scarier than a plate full of steamy, slimy, weird vegetables. Many of us have grown up with the notion that peas and Brussels sprouts were meant to be hidden under one’s napkin or discreetly fed to the dog, not to actually be eaten. So when student organization Bee Well introduced its Fruit & Veggie Challenge at the beginning of October, junk food addicts collectively shuddered.
The challenge presented by Bee Well was to eat at least five full servings of fruits and vegetables every day for twenty days—totaling in one hundred servings. There is the temptation for those who signed up for the challenge to simply fill out the sheet on day one, lie about their fruit and veggie intake, and turn it in in the hopes of winning prizes. (This author may or may not have considered this once or twice herself…) However, as someone who has struggled through the first week of this challenge, I can assure you that eating all your fruits and vegetables doesn’t have to be a scary thing.
The first and perhaps best part of completing this challenge is that trying new things can actually be fun. While it’s good to be able to rely on classics like carrot sticks and apple slices, fruits and vegetables are exciting because they’re so extremely versatile. You can steam, bake, mash, fry, freeze, blend, chop, dip, and mix them in whatever way suits your mood. If you’ve never tried fried eggplants or pomegranate smoothies before, maybe this month is the time to do it.
Along with the novelty of this challenge, one also has to be grateful for the health benefits of it. According to ChooseMyPlate.gov (and according to every health teacher you’ve had since you were ten), eating a diet full of fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure, protect against certain types of cancers, and lower chances of becoming obese or diabetic.
On top of that, fruits and vegetables are lower-calorie food options, meaning they’ll help you maintain a healthy weight (or even lose a few pounds, if that’s what you’re after). This challenge helps its participants to make healthy food choices when grabbing dinner or looking for an afternoon snack. Instead of going after the box of cookies in the pantry, participants realize that maybe a banana would be a better choice.
With the challenge about halfway over, what does it mean for those who forgot to sign up? While the potential for winning prizes is fun, the real reason to do the Fruit & Veggie Challenge is to start consciously making healthy choices at meals. This can be done at any time of the year and for however long you can stick with it. Maybe today will be the day to conquer some old childhood fears and dive into a delicious, nutritious plate of fruits and vegetables.
Research courtesy of ChooseMyPlate.org and photo courtesy of the ever-delicious Freight House Farmer’s Market.