At a time when Santé Publique France has just updated the nutritional benchmarks in PNNS 4, increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables remains a priority in health matters more than ever.⁽¹⁾ However, and despite all the recommendations in favor of a diet rich in plants, eating “5 fruits and vegetables” daily may seem complicated to some. In this article, discover 5 tasty ideas to eat more fruits and vegetables every day.

After the budget, the preparation time and the need to know how to cook are still seen as obstacles to the consumption of fruit and vegetables in Europe.⁽²⁾ However, it is essential to specify that a diet rich in plants can be at the same time simple, fast and economical. In reality, it suffices to take a few new habits to integrate fruits and vegetables into your daily cooking while maintaining the central notion of pleasure. It should also be remembered that in addition to being colorful, varied and rich in flavors, a diet rich in plants is a key factor for health. According to the latest WHO reports⁽³⁾, a cuisine rich in fruits and vegetables makes it possible to prevent many chronic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases or even certain cancers.

Fresh fruits and vegetables offer endless possibilities to break the kitchen routine and discover new horizons. To help you, here are 5 tasty ideas for a healthy and gourmet plant-based diet.

It is often difficult to ignore the sweet touch at the end of a meal. Good news, fruit-based desserts make it possible to combine pleasure and health and easily increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Thus, fruit salads, fruit soups or even baked fruit are all healthy desserts to think about. Beyond these classics, fruit purees and compotes can be real allies for making healthier desserts. For example, applesauce can replace much of the sugar and butter in your favorite cake and muffin recipes.

A pasta dish, a gratin, a simple savory pie or an omelet are all classic preparations that can be transformed into complete and balanced dishes very easily. To do this, simply revisit these basic dishes by incorporating your favorite vegetables. For example, the zucchini fits perfectly in a savory pie, the mushrooms in an omelet and the broccoli in a gratin. The possibilities are limitless ! 

In any season, a meal salad is ideal for quickly obtaining a complete and balanced meal. Raw or cooked, fruits and vegetables can be combined with your favorite foods: cheese, cereals, seeds, fish, legumes, poultry, etc. Indeed, a meal salad is always a good solution since there are no other rules than that which consists in combining foods as varied and colorful as they are delicious.

Among the tasty ideas for eating more fruits and vegetables, it’s hard not to mention smoothies and other homemade juices. Indeed, these simple and quick preparations offer many possibilities and are a good way to enjoy the benefits of fruits and vegetables. Ideally, however, be careful not to add sugar and limit yourself to one glass of this type of preparation in order to retain all the nutritional value.

Finally, soups are also a great way to eat more vegetables while having fun. Here again, vegetables can be combined with your favorite foods to compose soups as varied as they are original: with fresh cheese, spices, cereals, croutons, seeds, etc. For dessert too, fruits make it possible to make delicious, tasty and refreshing soups: mango soup with cardamom, red fruit soup, etc.

[1] National Health Nutrition Plan (PNNS) 4th generation, 2018-2022

[2] Enquête Scottish Health Survey, 2008-2011

[3] World Health Report, Obesity and Overweight, 2017