In this sponsored PassionFit segment, host Ashley interviews health and wellness expert Reena Vokoun about the nationwide shortfall in adult fruit and vegetable consumption and how to address it during the summer. Reena cites CDC data showing only one in ten U.S. adults meet recommended daily servings and then highlights four in‑season foods—tomatoes, bell peppers, berries (especially strawberries), and peaches—as nutrient‑dense, affordable options. For each item she offers concrete, low‑effort ways to incorporate them into meals and snacks: salads and sandwiches with tomatoes; raw mini bell peppers with hummus or in omelets; berry‑filled smoothies, shortcakes, or as a post‑workout snack; and sliced peaches added to Greek yogurt for a protein‑rich breakfast. Throughout, she emphasizes that these foods are abundant in summer, cost‑effective, and suitable for busy families juggling work, school, and volunteer commitments. The conversation underscores the practicality of small, flavor‑focused changes rather than elaborate recipes, aligning with Reena’s broader message of attainable, health‑focused lifestyle habits.
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Grabbing healthy options at the grocery store can be costly, and with kids home, relatives visiting, and entertaining, you have more mouths to feed. Our favorite health and wellness expert, Reena Vokoun, is sharing her secrets to eating healthy all summer long while saving money. This segment is sponsored by PassionFit. Reena, it is always so nice to see you, and you always just arm us with so much knowledge. Today we're clearly going to be talking about our diets. Yes. And adults, you say, we're just not getting enough when it comes to fruits and vegetables.
Yes, according to the Centers for Disease Control, only 1 in 10 US adults are actually getting the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables. And according to federal guidelines, that includes 2 to 3 cups of vegetables and 1.5 to 2 cups of fruits every single day.
Well, you have some easy solutions for us, and we're going to talk about items that are in season. So this is not going to be hard. You aren't going to have to look high and low to find the right food.
Exactly. There's so many great organic fresh fruits and vegetables that are currently in season this summer. So let's start with tomatoes. I love tomatoes. Tomatoes are juicy and sweet and delicious. They are filled with vitamins A, B, and C, and there's a lot of different things you can do with them. Obviously, you can slice them up and put them into a delicious salad with kale or spinach or arugula. You can add cucumbers, avocado, carrots, and more. You can add it to any traditional sandwich. I would definitely recommend whole grain bread though, or sourdough bread. You could add tuna, You could add turkey. You can do an egg salad sandwich with hard-boiled eggs. So there's just a lot of things that you can do with tomatoes. And again, they're just high in nutrients, so good for you and available in abundance this time of year.
I know they are so refreshing. I like to keep mine in the refrigerator though, so they stay nice and cold. That's such a good little snack throughout the day. What else do you have for us?
Yeah, so bell peppers. These are another great one to add into. I love to add them into scrambled eggs or frittatas or any sort of omelet or brunch meal. They add color, they add texture, lots of crunch and flavor. And if you have kids who are picky about vegetables like mine, they're teenagers and they still are picky, I will literally buy them like this as mini bell peppers. You can buy the big ones and slice them up, but with these you can actually eat them raw. So wash them, serve them with hummus or maybe like a low-fat ranch dressing or anything to dress them up a little bit, but they're easy to just put on the side of any lunch meal or put into their snacks when they go back to school or throughout the summer as well. Yeah.
Strawberries, cannot go wrong.
Yes, you can't go wrong with strawberries or any kind of berry, right? They're filled with antioxidants, they're juicy, they're delicious. You could make a strawberry shortcake, which is a really fun dessert for the summer. Get angel food cake, maybe low-fat whipped cream, and put those on top. I personally love to put any kind of berry, including strawberries, in my smoothies. So I teach fitness, yoga, and dance classes every morning, Monday through Friday, and this is my favorite post-recovery snack. So you can add any sort of berries, maybe a cup of them with a cup of almond milk. You can add some, you know, you know, vegetables, so add a cup of spinach or kale, and then add just a tablespoon of natural peanut butter and maybe just a teaspoon of some dark chocolate chips. Whip it up in the blender, and then you have a really great, delicious smoothie that's filled with fiber and antioxidants.
I know, I love how you make all these tips just so easy too. I mean, these aren't gonna be like big recipes that you have to make. You're not sneaking them into meals. You're just getting people to love the natural flavors of in-season fruits and vegetables. What else do you recommend?
Peaches. So peaches, I, you know, whenever I see peaches in the grocery store, in the produce section, I just get excited because reminds me of summer, right? And peaches are great to have sliced up. You can just eat them on their own. You could also add them to Greek yogurt, which is really delicious because then you're getting protein and some calcium and dairy plus the fruits. Just makes for a delicious breakfast that almost tastes like dessert.
I know, and I'm so glad you shared in-season options because it also means they're gonna be a little more affordable too, because since they're in season, you know, there's not that surplus of people trying to run to the store and get them before they're gone. So that is a Great, and it's really just reflective of your book because you do like to make sure that all the tips you give are attainable for people, easy to follow.
Absolutely. I understand what it's like to be busy trying to balance your family with your career, volunteer activities, and other things, and I don't have time to be in the kitchen for hours at a time, and I know many others don't, but that doesn't mean that we can't still cook healthy, delicious foods to really keep, keep us functioning most optimally.
