When it comes to our diets today, not many people can say how many raw vegetables or fruits they consume in a day because often times that amount is zero. Regarding the nutrients and vitamins we need to sustain a healthy body and overall existence, raw fruits and vegetables are the key in any diet. You may be thinking that you don’t like very many fruits or vegetables if any, but maybe that is because you have never really tried them. Today, it has become so much easier to hit a drive-thru window for our meals and not even realize that we are consuming so much grease and processed foods and not even balancing it out with the raw produce our bodies need.

Organic fruits and vegetables are the best type of produce you can buy today. This means fruits and vegetables that have been grown without the use of pesticides, artificial fertilizers or herbicides that can cause our bodies harm. As more and more people are beginning to take the natural avenue when it comes to their diet, organic produce is becoming easier and easier to locate at your local grocery store. When you are looking for this type of produce it is important to always choose the most ripe fruits and vegetables available. What many consumers do not know is that the longer the produce has been stored, whether it is ripe or not quite ripe, the more nutrients it loses.

The great thing about organic fruits and vegetables is that when you arrive home with your purchases the only thing you have to do is wash them with cold water and use a soft vegetable brush to gently clean off any residue that may have been transferred onto it during shipping, etc. What is important about organic fruits and vegetables is that although in the past, most households like to eat their vegetables cooked; the best way to obtain all the nutrients from the fresh produce is of course consume them raw or at least minimize cooking them. Juicing fresh fruits and vegetables is also an excellent way to obtain the maximum amount of nutrients. All the enzymes and vitamins within fruits and vegetables are extremely vulnerable when it comes to heat.

This can take some getting used to for some families who are so used to cooking their vegetables but eating them raw and fresh is just as enjoyable and you can feel more confident that you are providing your family with the nutrients they need to combat the conditions and diseases that may come their way. If you find that fresh produce is unavailable, as it sometimes is during the off seasons of the year in North America, frozen fruits and vegetables should be your second choice. Understanding that canned vegetables or boxed are more likely to contain the additives and salt that you want to avoid.

Take a look at your diet and really see just how many fresh fruits and vegetables you eat in a week. Replace some of the processed foods within your diet with some organic fruits and vegetables for snacks and it will also be a great addition to any meal.