A holiday gift. Just looking at the box was overwhelming. I stood there for a few minutes and wondered, whether to keep or re-gift. It is a keeper!
What next? No second guessing on the regifting! Smile, take a deep breath, and pump yourself up. I tell my brain, just take one piece at a time. The first decision is already made to keep the gift.
Like a whole pizza, I need to open the box, savour the moment, and decide which piece to take, and where to start. In this case, there are 1000 pieces in this jigsaw puzzle gift. The pieces all fit perfectly together, one piece at a time. Now go forth and conquer.
This approach, one piece at a time, works for me be it a 1000-piece puzzle or changing a habit. Change, especially when it comes to that glorious, savoury, delicious food, is tough. Not impossible, but difficult.
Just what am I eating, I pondered after scanning the updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025. Swiping down the PDF, my fingers stop on the fruit section. Shockingly, 80% of the U.S. population does not meet the daily fruit recommendations of 2 cups of fruit or 2 servings. A serving of fruit equals one medium-sized whole fruit such as an apple, pear, or banana or ½ cup of fresh fruit such as berries or cut-up fresh fruit.
What is the fruit? Fruits come from the flowering part of a plant and contain seeds. Tomatoes and peppers are fruit. Yes, that red slice of tomato on your bun is a fruit. Fruit factoid: the only fruit with seeds on the outside is a strawberry. Eggs with two sides of fruit, sliced tomato and berries, please. The server rolls its eyes at me. Just a fruit freak.
Non-sweetened juices count but not for me. I gave up juices, last century when they contained added sugars, chemicals, and preservatives minus the fiber of the fresh fruit. I incorporated one whole piece of fruit and wonderful fiber and nutrients into my diet years ago. Count those tomatoes and maybe I do get two servings a day, sometimes.
In contrast, vegetables are the edible parts of a plant, such as leaves, stems, roots, and bulbs. Spinach, green salad stuff, beets, onions, scallions, carrots, and celery, to name a few.
Today, I learned that I was part of the majority eating only one piece of fruit per day. Could I change my fruit habit? If I can do a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle, one piece at a time, then I can eat one more piece of fruit every day.
The 1000-piece puzzle box is opened, the border done, and pieces sorted by color, one piece at a time. A whole mandarin orange was part of my morning routine. It now gets a friend during the day. Cherry tomatoes and a fresh fruit bowl are positioned on the table, next to that 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. Fruit and puzzle look at me! One piece plus one piece per day equals 2, my new daily goal for fruit and puzzle pieces.
Are you part of the 80%? The only thing constant about life is change. Add a piece of fruit to your daily food intake. Fruit, 2 servings a day is the healthier way.
For more thoughts about you are what you eat and digest, visit drmarlenemd.com.
*No content in this article and any article on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or healthcare provider.*
Reference:
United States Department of Agriculture USDA, (December 29, 2020), Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 Ninth Edition, https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/.
