Dear Jess, your post on increasing vegetable and fruit intake was helpful as I have a hard time getting enough vegetables in my diet. Does V-8 juice count as a vegetable?  I assume that it does.  How many veggies can I count for an 8 ounce can of V-8? Thanks, PM

Good for you for considering ways to increase the amount of vegetables and fruits in your diet on a daily basis.

As in most choices in life, this, too, lies on a continuum. We all make decisions everyday about what foods we will pick on the “healthy choice” continuum, ranging from ideal to pure junk. Whole food is always a better choice than a processed product like Campbell’s V8 Juice. The juice is made from concentrates, and during processing is heated to over 118 degrees F which destroys many of the nutritious enzymes. Also, keep in mind that V-8 juice is very high in sodium, containing 590 mg in every 8 ounce glass…nearly 1/3 of the recommended daily allowance. And some versions of V-8 juices add high fructose corn syrup or Splenda, both of which I recommend avoiding for a number of reasons. V8 juice does have many redeeming qualities: It has a fair amount of potassium, it has more vitamin C than an orange, and nearly 40% of your daily vitamin A requirements. Is it better than a great big salad or juicing your own local organic vegetables? Well, no. But it is one way to start adding more vegetables to your daily diet and a positive step toward making healthier nutritional choices. If you live near a Whole Foods or Natural Foods store/co-op, look for a healthier version of V8…an organic, low sodium vegetable juice with no added flavors or sweeteners.

To specifically answer your question, you get 2 servings of vegetables in an 8-ounce glass of V8.

Remember, many vegetables contain fat-soluble vitamins meaning that you need to eat a bit of healthy fat with your vegetables in order to adequately absorb these fat-soluble nutrients. A small handful of soaked almonds with your V-8 makes a good afternoon snack!

Here’s to your health-
Jess

Dear Jess, I know I am supposed to be eating more vegetables, but I just don’t. Do you have any tips? Thanks, AS

Eat your veggies. Eat 5 servings a day. Eat 9 servings a day. Just eat more.

Whew.

Regardless of the actual amount of vegetables the guidelines are currently recommending (it keeps changing), the take-away message is clear: Eat more vegetables and fruits.

Given that, here are some suggestions for adding more vegetables and fruits to your daily menu.

1. Start the day out right. Have breakfast. And include at least one veggie and one fruit.
• Try adding chopped veggies to scrambled eggs. Onions, mushrooms, spinach are tasty choices.
• Spoon fresh salsa over any kind of eggs – add some zip to your morning.
• Breakfast is an easy time to add fresh fruit: pick something that’s in season to keep it varied and interesting.

2. Don’t stop at breakfast. Include at least one veggie at each meal and snack. This is a healthy idea for at least a couple of reasons – eating more vegetables increases the nutrient density of your meals/snacks as they are full of phytonutrients, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals and fiber, AND eating more vegetables tends to displace the amount of processed food one consumes – more veggies, less junk! Read more

Dear Jess, I have heard you say that soaking almonds makes them better for you. Is this true? Can you explain how that works? Thanks, JB

Yes, JB, this is, indeed, true.

A handful of nuts are an excellent snack. They contain protein, healthy fats, and are relatively low in carbohydrates. They are excellent sources of vitamin E and most B vitamins, lot and lots of various minerals and several phytonutrients.

How could you improve on that?

Well, grains, legumes and nuts are all seeds of various plants. What makes a nut specifically a nut is that it grows from a tree and has a hard removable outer shell and a soft, edible inner kernel…the nut.

All of these types of seeds…grains, legumes and nuts have varying degrees of what we call anti-nutrients. Nuts, in particular, contain phytates and enzyme inhibitors. Phytates bind with minerals such as calcium, zinc, iron, interfering with our body’s ability to absorb these important minerals. Enzyme inhibitors can interfere with optimal digestion and absorption. Read more