ALDI Tips to Fill Half Your Plate with Fruits & Vegetables

Go Single-Serve
Grab the baggies when you buy the big bag of baby carrots or the large watermelon. Cut up your fruits and veggies and portion into single-serve bags when you get home. You’ll have ready-to-go snacks for lunches, after school and more.

Make your Dollar Count
Filling your family’s plate with fruits and vegetables doesn’t have to break the bank. Look for versatile veggies that can be prepared in different ways and cost-saving convenience options to help ensure your family gets the nutrition they need, without going over your grocery budget.

Think in the Can (or the Freezer)
Did you know that frozen or canned produce (without added sugars or sauces) can be just as nutritious as fresh?  Round out your fruit and veggie shopping with great-tasting, convenient canned or frozen choices.

Protect your Produce
Place fruits and vegetables in the shopping cart where they won’t get bruised; bruising speeds spoilage. At  the check-out, make sure produce is packed on top or in separate bags.

Fill the Veggie Gap
Most Americans fall far short of the recommended vegetables they need each day. Check your cart. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that Americans fill half their plate with fruits and vegetables. Do you have what you need to help your family reach the recommendation? 

Involve the Whole Family
Bring the kids to the store to help pick out their fruits and veggies. They’re more likely to eat it, if they had a hand in selecting it.

ALDI Tips to Fill Half Your Plate with Fruits & Vegetables

Pick Your Veggies First
Instead of picking your protein to pair with a veggie, flip your plate around, and plan your meal around your vegetable choices. Try making a stew, a stir fry or casserole where vegetables are the star of the plate.

Find Fruits and Veggies in Unexpected Places
Include vegetables in some of your kids’ favorite dishes. Add shreds of carrots to spaghetti sauce, or mix peas into macaroni and cheese. Or toss fruits into the mix with your garden salad. Mandarin orange slices, grape halves or chopped apples can add a twist to this standard staple.

Go Beyond Basics
Try a new-to-you variety of apple, or fill your salad bowl with different types of greens, such as arugula, spinach or romaine.

Fill Your Glass, As Well As Your Plate
While most of your fruit servings should be whole fruit, 100 percent fruit juice can also “count” as a serving too. Check the label to be sure you’re getting 100 percent juice.

More Tips for Picking Peak Produce:

Apples should be firm with smooth, clean skin and good color. Avoid fruit with bruised spots.

Look for plump bananas with uniform shape at your desired ripeness level.

Oranges should be thin-skinned and firm. Avoid oranges with a hint of softness or whitish mold at the ends.

Select broccoli that features compact clusters of tightly closed, dark green florets. Avoid heads with yellow florets or thick, woody stems.

Cauliflower should be firm and compact with creamy white heads. A yellow tinge and spreading florets indicates over-maturity.

ALDI consulted with a registered dietitian to develop these tips to help fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables