The 10 Vegetables or Fruit a Day Challenge — Join Us! There’s a Prize!
Here’s a thing we’d like to do: Challenge you guys—again—but this time it’s going to be all about food. We’re bringing back an early idea we launched here but never initiated as a formal challenge because this blog was just a baby then, and we hadn’t started our Challenge series yet.
Get excited: This is one is fun, easy, and rewards you with glowing skin.
A while back, a friend mentioned a study he’d seen showing that Japanese farmers who ate on average 20 fruits and vegetables a day were in significantly better health than those who ate just 10, even when controlling for other factors. They lived longer, had fewer health events and felt better. We’d wager they looked pretty good too.
Intuitively this makes sense, and it’s partly why we devoted two chapters in the book to food and lifestyle. We’re big believers in the idea that you can’t just slather on products and expect to look your best. You also need to eat avocados, drink plenty of water, sleep a lot, have sex, have fun, exercise and commit to relaxation in some form or another (preferably the sober kind, at least some of the time).
We’ve been talking a bit about resolutions here, and we’ve been (mostly) keeping up our Meatless Monday Inspiration posts, so how about we put those two together and eat more veggies! And fruit.
And we’re making it easy. A bite of anything that contains a fruit of vegetable, even if somewhat adulterated, counts for one point.
Half an apple counts, and so does the garlic you crushed into your pasta sauce*. And, like, if you eat a greek yogurt with the gooey raspberries at the bottom, well, ew, but that counts! Even better would be yogurt with whole raspberries, but that’s the thing with this challenge: You can fake it to make it. Cool? Great.
Now who’s in?
Some rules: Don’t cheat.
Instructions: For seven consecutive days, consume at least 10 different fruits or vegetables per day. Ten total: You decide how many of those you want to be fruits and vegetables. Then write us an email at nomoredirtylooks (at) gmail (dot) com with NOMNOM in the subject line, and include your first name and location, written thusly “Siobhan, Brooklyn, NY” and a brief description of how you felt at the end of your seven days. Send this to us by the end of the day Wednesday, January 18th.
Prize: We’re still working on a prize, but it’ll be awesome as always. Stay tuned. We’ll post when we have it locked and loaded.
Special favor: Help us make sure this awesome. Tell your friends on Twitter, Facebook, at the gym or at the bar. Friend us, follow us, and then RT us, or whatever. Spread the word!
The reason for the challenge: See above. It’s healthy. You’ll glow. And you’ll feel better. Also, when you turn life into a summer camp challenge, and you do it with other people, it’s way more fun.
Good luck! Share your clever veggie- and fruit-loading tips in the comments. Ten is a lot, but it’s not that hard. Bon appetit!
* Yes, we know there’s some debate about whether or not garlic is actually a vegetable, but we’re not sticklers here…and it’s good for you!
Image via
I’m so excited about this! I was just thinking yesterday that I needed to get back on track with my food choices and subsequently stocked up on fruits and veggies! So far today I’ve had a banana, an apple, and I’ve been eyeing some grapes. :)
cool! i’m in. starting today with the salad i brought to work that has 5 different kinds of veggies in it (broccoli, lettuce, carrot, corn, cucumber) and the green curry that has 4 other kinds of veggies in it (zucchini, green beans, mushrooms and, yep, garlic). dayum, not bad :).
so i guess the moral of the story is that salads & curries (and stirfry and stew and rice bowls and pasta sauce and anything you can just throw a boatload of veg into) make it easy to meet this goal. i made both the salad and the curry last night, so prepping ahead (and using all the vegetables in) helps, too.
I’m on board! :)
Hahaha I can’t commit and say I’ll DEFINITELY do it (if only because that would mean grocery shopping and I’m just not sure I’ve got the time :S) but I will TRY!! I have apple sauce and a mandarin orange right here with me at work…..my “Holy Crap” cereal has raisins and cranberries in it (although not a lot)….does that count? lol
This salad has 5 fruits and veggies in it, that will get me halfway there!
http://ohsheglows.com/2011/09/27/detox-salad/
Great idea! I eat like this all the time, but I’m still counting this week as participation. Smoothies and juicing are a super easy way to pack in the nutrients from several fruits and vegetables.
I am so in.
I’m in! Currently living on winter veggie soups with all of this frigid NYC weather we find ourselves in :)
I’m starting a week long cleanse on saturday and im only allowed to eat whole foods! So awesome! I’m in ;)
<3 Sarah
theantiquepearl.blogspot.com
Oh, I’m definitely in! My new juicer is going to make this an easier challenge!
Count me in! My daughter and I are doing a 10 day juice fast – today’s fruits and veggies include: apple, tangelo, lemon, parsley, ginger, parsnip, chard, kale, carrot, celery, fennel, cabbage, cucumber and garlic. Ten a day…no problem!
Hm, a few questions: Do herbs (parsley, basil, chives, etc) count as vegetables? During the week, I tend to make a few big meals and then portion the leftovers into lunches. Is it okay to have repeat meals (or do the veggies and fruit need to come from unique meals)? For instance, I am currently eating pineapple fried rice for lunch and I will probably eat it for lunch Thursday and Friday as well. This one dish has 9 veggies/fruits alone! Is it okay to keep counting them or do I need to come up with new meals for each day?
Also, I am assuming pizza won’t qualify as a vegetable *shakes fist at US government* but what about potatoes/french fries/ potato chips?
I am so in. Just starting the Bon Appetit Food Lover’s Cleanse. So this will be perfect. So refreshing after all the holiday over indulgences. Great Challenge.
Amazing! Glad I got a packed salad at lunch today to kick this off.
Does it count if I already eat 10 fruits/vegetables a day? :P Addicted to fruit.
I love this ideal! I love eating fruits and veggies, but usually do not get enough! Can not wait to get started. I can not wait to read you book also!!! Now it is 6 pm and I have to go find two more fruits to eat LOL.
Great idea! As a vegetarian, this shouldn’t be too much of a problem, but it will still be interesting to keep track of how many fruits/veggies I actually do eat. Can’t wait to start!
I AM SO IN.
Absolutely in. This isn’t far from what I eat daily but the challenge will remind me to count them and add some.. Great idea ,as always!
I actually do eat like this, so I am in. I start by taking two pieces of fruit with me to my office each day. I eat a lot of vegetables, but really need to be cognizant of adding fruits.
Soup is my favorite way to sneak in 10+ veggies a day in the winter. If it isn’t a full 10 it’s usually half way there.
If I throw in beans then we’ve also got our meatless meal.
I’m in! I stocked up on fresh fruits and veggies last night, then cut them up and put them in open glass containers in the fridge. The cost for all that produce (and a few bags of frozen veggies) made me pretty sad, but the smell of the big bowl of grapefruits in my kitchen is an instant mood-booster. I even convinced my husband and two colleagues to take on the challenge!
On Day 2 here and loving it!! Can not wait to see how much better I feel. I am trying to get as many of them as full servings each, but that does not always work LOL. :)
Are we counting legumes [bean, chickpeas, etc] as vegetables?
I second @Gretchen’s comment: legumes? I vote ‘yes’ :)
I am in! I am vegetarian and even for a vegetarian it is so difficult to keep the diversity.
Love this! My NY resolution is to get my family eating more fruits and veggies and it starts with me! We just got a juicer and have been juicing carrots, celery, cucumber, tomatoes, kale, spinach, parsley, cilantro, apples, oranges, ginger, beets…yummy!!
Holy smokes! I’m in.
Woohoo, I’m so glad I found you ladies again…and just in time for this challenge! I’m in, just started today!
I make a broccoli slaw, which is exactly as it sounds, but I add extra veggies. I get my food processor out and go to town shredding broccoli, onions, carrots, celery, radishes, sweet peppers and red cabbage. It’s colorful, loaded with antioxidants, and delicious. I’ve even put in scraps of romaine, or whatever crisp veggie is in the bin.