Food Q&A: Produce Power

Need ideas for coping with restaurant buffets? Want some good snack ideas? In our Q&A series, WeightWatchers.com nutritionist and food editor Leslie Fink, MS, RD, answers questions about food, nutrition and weight loss.

Q: Do you have any ideas for fitting fruits and vegetables into my diet? I find it hard to eat them during the day, and then I try to cram three or four servings into my dinner.

A: Some people are lucky enough to like cherries more than chocolate, and carrot sticks more than chips (yes, people like that do exist!). For others, though, eating a salad can be an arduous task. The best way for those people to meet their fruit and veggie requirements? Sneak them in! Or, center meals around them.

1. Use vegetables to add bulk to individual foods and meals.
Fill out a turkey wrap with roasted red peppers (water-packed), rely on sliced mushrooms and diced onions to add volume to omelets, and shred carrots and zucchini into tomato sauce.

2. Plan for meals that include lots of vegetables.
Try chicken fajitas, shrimp and vegetable kabobs or a tofu stir-fry.

3. Keep small packages of dried fruit in your desk drawer or car.
For nutrient-dense, midday pick-me-ups, look for 1/2-ounce boxes of raisins or divide a large pack of dried apricots among small plastic bags.

4. Purchase prepackaged low-fat stir-fry meals.
Find those that contain vegetables, sauce and seasonings in your supermarket's freezer section. Simply cook with the lean protein of your choice.

5. Think of fruit as a dessert.
Top yogurt and ice cream with blueberries, halved seedless red grapes or diced bananas. Or, top a low-calorie brownie with sliced strawberries and nonfat whipped topping.

6. Drink your fruit.
Whip up smoothies by blending together fruit, low-fat yogurt and ice.

7. Keep fresh, cut-up veggies in the fridge for between-meal snacking.
Enjoy celery sticks with mango-peach salsa or sugar snap peas dipped into roasted red-pepper-flavored hummus.

8. Rely on salad bars to get fresh, ready-to-eat vegetables in a hurry.
Buy sliced peppers, broccoli and onions for a stir-fry or diced tomatoes and spinach for a last-minute omelet or frittata.

9. Don't be afraid to mix your fruits and vegetables.
Toss diced apples into a salad instead of fatty croutons, and rely on dried fruit to give your salad texture and a color boost. One of my all-time favorites is mixed greens, thinly sliced pears, goat cheese and dried cranberries drizzled with a light balsamic vinaigrette.

Go to Food & Recipes to see more questions and answers!