Super-simple tips for getting your five to nine servings of produce a day

If you eat your fruits and veggies, the latest health studies probably confirm how you already feel-great! A trio of new studies shows that fruits and vegetables lower cancer risk. A growing body of medical evidence also links fruits and vegetables to lower heart disease risk, better digestive function, and even asthma and allergy prevention.

If you'd like to get more disease-fighting produce into your diet, don't be daunted by the recommendation for five to nine servings a day. It's not too rough to get enough roughage. In fact, it's easier than you might think. Here are a few tips.

Add them to everyday favorites. Think veggies in the morning with diced tomato, onion and peppers with your eggs. Mix berries in with yogurt or sprinkle them on cereal. Almost any vegetable you can imagine goes well with pasta. "Just sneak in an extra fruit or vegetable where you can. You can even add shredded carrots or zucchini to meatloaf," says Marisa Moore, R.D., a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

Add them in unexpected places. Once you succeed in adding fruits and vegetables to everyday dinners, put a twist on the more unexpected entrées. Add grapes or cranberries to chicken salad. Mix pureed mangoes with barbecue sauces for extra taste and nutrition. Serve colorful, nutritious fruit kabobs for dessert instead of fattening ice creams, cakes and pies.

Remember, a little goes a long way. A "serving" of fruits or vegetables is probably much smaller than you think. "A lot of people don't realize a serving of broccoli is only half a cup. A large salad is two to three servings of vegetables," Moore says. Fresh, frozen, dried, canned and juiced fruits and vegetables all count toward the "five to nine" goal.

Plant a garden. This may sound too easy. However, a study of rural Missouri families shows that families who had homegrown or locally grown produce available also had better overall nutrition patterns. Their children were also more likely to prefer a variety of fruits and vegetables as "favorites."

Drink it all in. While it's not optimal to fall back on juices for numerous servings, a half a cup of fruit or vegetable juice still counts. "You do miss a little bit because you don't get the fiber you would get from eating a whole fruit," Moore says. "But you can use juice for maybe one serving."-Laurie Davies