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Overwhelmed by all of the "Follow Friday" recommendations on Twitter? Each week AOL Health's Twitter alias Healthpop and That's_Fit search the Twittersphere for the greatest diet and fitness Twitterers, and each week, we'll highlight the best-of their best tweets (no Twits here). Got any great advice for our Fit Follow Friday post? Give us a shout on Twitter and let us know all about it!

Photo: kurisurokku, Flickr

You've just finished a tough workout. You're hot and sweaty so you reach for ... celery? It's long been known that water-rich fruits and vegetables can contribute to your hydration needs. But recent research shows that beyond contributing to hydration, some fruits and vegetables may hydrate your body twice as effectively as a glass of water.

Water is cool, refreshing and calorie-free, but certain types of produce have a leg up on H2O. Why? Because they provide nutrients like mineral salts, amino acids and vitamins as well as hydration.

When exercising, your body can lose electrolytes through sweat. Replenishing lost electrolytes is the whole premise behind sports drinks. But certain fresh fruits and veggies can replenish your body, too -- without all the artificial colors and flavors.

When it comes to weight loss, there are a lot of gimmicks out there. But That's Fit readers know this: Gimmicks never work, and sometimes they can leave you with more weight to lose than when you started. The other day, however, a friend told me about an idea that sounds gimmick-y, but is actually just a new way of looking at solid, time-tested advice.

It's called the 5 and 30 plan. The idea is easy -- eat a minimum of five fruits and vegetables a day and get 30 minutes of moderate exercise. Essentially, the plan reduces calories, increases fiber, improves nutrition and ensures daily physical activity. But at the same time, it sounds pretty simple.

It's not a diet, it's a way of life. And this week, I'm going to try it on for size.

Photo: sxc.hu

Want to make the 5 and 30 challenge work for you? Here are some simple tips to get you started:

• If you're brand new to exercise, start small. Think 5 and 10 challenge instead, and work your way up.
• That 30-minute workout can be broken into two to three smaller workouts if time is short.
• Choose an exercise you love, so you look forward to it every day. But change it up now and then to challenge both your mind and your body.
• Visit your local farmers markets for the freshest fruits and vegetables. They'll taste better.
• Love to snack? Make a rule that between meals, only fruits and vegetables are allowed.
• Put a big bowl of fruit out in plain sight. We had the most magnificent plums this week, and putting them out in plain sight meant the whole family reached for those first, before something from the snack cupboard.
• On the other hand, if you're trying to lose weight, there shouldn't be anything in your snack cupboard. Keep your trigger foods at the store and out of reach.
• As always, get plenty of sleep and drink lots of water -- both will help keep hunger at bay.

Have you ever tried a challenge like this one? What kinds of tips and tricks can you share with our readers to make this healthy habit stick?

Got a Walking the Walk idea you'd like to see Bethany try for seven days? Share it with us in comments!

If you're like the average American, you get only three servings of fruits and veggies per day. But you need nine. That might seem like a lot, but it's really not, say the food editors at Eating Well, because servings aren't as big as you think.

Salads are an easy way to get your goods -- just throw together two cups of spinach, a half-cup of bell peppers and a half-cup of green beans. Add some healthy dressing, and you'll satisfy half of your daily recommended servings. The video above shows the whole story.

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Whether the motivation is the economy or the environment, backyard gardens are popping up all over the country. Perhaps most famously, a garden was even planted at the White House. Regardless of the reasons for planting a garden, there are undeniable health perks to growing your own produce.

Produce that is freshly picked (or dug as the case may be) hasn't had time to lose any nutrients. What's more, the fresher the produce, the better it seems to taste. And, as you grow different varieties of produce and have them right on hand, you're more likely to find ways to prepare and enjoy them. And increasing your fruit and vegetable intake is a good thing.


You can never have too many fruits and vegetables, but there are other, less healthful, foods that can send you into a flurry of overeating.

Grilling is a summertime treat -- and a great way to get out of cooking in that hot kitchen. Before you pull out that package of hot dogs, though, consider that your grill is the perfect place to cook fruits and veggies, too. Getting in your five to nine servings a day has never tasted so good!

• Firm vegetables like corn, peppers, eggplant and onions can be cooked directly on the grill. Baste them in your favorite marinade for extra flavor, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Some veggies are perfect for steaming. Make a pocket out of tinfoil, put in carrots, zucchini and potatoes, then add seasoning and a small amount of water. Put the entire package on the grill and heat.
• Bite-sized veggies, like mushrooms, grill up great on a skewer or in a grill basket.
• Satisfy your sweet tooth with grilled fruit. Brush fruits like apples and peaches with a small amount of oil and sprinkle with cinnamon, or serve grilled bananas with a scoop of low-fat yogurt.

Serve up great nutrition this summer by putting fruits and veggies on your grill -- indoor or outdoor. Check out Maggie's post on creative grilling for more healthy and delicious ideas.

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Do you eat your recommended servings of fruits and vegetables? Not many people do.

Increasing the fruits and vegetables you eat isn't as hard as you think. Many people overestimate what is actually considered a serving of fruit or vegetables. Those super-sized portions we've become accustomed to affect us in more ways than one!

Check out this guide for fruit and vegetable serving sizes, then keep track of your progress with this handy Veggie and Fruit Tracker from AOL Health.

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Tomorrow is the big day, the one reserved for outpourings of love and affection, sweet surprises and maybe a little chocolate too -- we suggest you go dark on this one. It's also a day for sporting some red. You know, your favorite red sweater, a red scarf, a red ribbon in your hair, red running shoes even.

Ever thought about going red with your fruits and veggies in honor of Valentine's Day? It's a healthy thing to do -- and can be the perfect prep for that big meal you might be sharing with your sweetie once the sun sets.

There are lots of antioxidants in red produce, which means extra protection against all sorts of disease. Can't beat that, so why not show yourself some love this Valentine's Day and throw back some of these super red foods: tomatoes, red peppers, apples, strawberries and raspberries. And let us know in comments what other red foods you might try. Red beans, maybe? How about red cabbage, red wine or watermelon? You tell us.

Do you have a few minutes to waste? I know, I know ... you're busy. But everyone deserves a few minutes just to relax, right?

Check out this new game on Shockwave.com. The Wonder-Juice Machine is a fun way to give your brain a little challenge. A minor mental workout like this is a great way to take your mind off of your troubles for a few minutes and relieve a little stress.

As as added perk, the game includes actual recipes for nutritious smoothies that you can try at home. And keep your eye out for the health tips about different fruits and vegetables. Who knew a game could include such handy health advice?

When I look at the lunch menu for my son's school, I feel safe in assuming that any kid who brings a lunch from home is getting better nutrition. After all, it's not hard to beat chicken nuggets and greasy pizza. But home-packed lunches aren't always the better deal.

Due to rising food costs, regulations for Texas day-care centers recently changed and now allow the centers to require parents to send meals and snacks for the children. A subsequent (albeit small) study found that 71 percent of the home-packed meals didn't have enough fruits or vegetables and the number of milk servings was also low.

When you're busy getting the kids ready for school and trying to get ready for work, sometimes convenience takes priority when packing your kids lunches. But nutrition can be convenient, too. You can't get much easier than a ready-to-eat piece of fruit. And you can pre-cut carrots, celery, cucumbers and other veggies at the beginning or the week so they're ready and waiting. Check out the gallery for other quick, easy and healthful foods for your child's lunch bag.

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This week marked the beginning of, I imagine, thousands of detox diets across North America. It's only natural, really, that after weeks of indulging in more sugar, fat, alcohol and laziness than we do all year that we're looking for ways to cleanse our bodies of our holiday sins and start 2009 off right. But before you rush to the drug store to pick up a detox kit to the tune of $30 or more, keep in mind that leading scientists have declared many so-called detoxes to be a waste of money.

You can save your hard-earned cash with a do-it-yourself detox. It won't be easy -- most experts believe that detoxing requires you to cut out sugar, salt, refined carbs, wheat, dairy, alcohol and caffeine, not to mention drinking lots of water and eating plenty of fruits and veggies -- but doing it yourself is healthier and more economical.

Click here for some more DIY-detoxing tips.

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Kids learn a lot in school. My fifth grader is learning algebra and geometry, which is fine now but I'm a little leery of the math lessons he'll have in high school -- at some point he's going to surpass my knowledge completely. So with all that reading, writing and arithmetic, why not learn good nutrition habits as well?

Many schools are starting to restrict sugary and fatty snacks. And students' nutrition habits are modestly improving as a result. Over 10,000 fifth graders at schools with restricted snacks were surveyed and they reported a three percent increase in fruit and vegetable consumption.

As a parent, I strongly believe my child's nutrition habits are learned at home. But when good nutrition habits are modeled and supported at school as well, it's a win-win situation. Now if I could only convince my son's school to stop serving those molded chunks of who-knows-what they try to pass off as chicken nuggets.

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Several years ago when I still worked in an office environment, we went through a pretty rough stretch. We were all working long hours and were stressed beyond belief. We all pitched in and when we got the job done, my boss gave each of us a six-pack of fancy-schmancy beer and a big bar of chocolate. Hands down, he was the coolest boss in the world.

We never had the dreaded candy bowl at that office, but we did have our fair share of bagels for breakfast and pizza for lunch. Though it was awesome that our boss liked to treat us once in a while, the treats were never very healthful.

Enter The Fruit Guys. This service delivers a box of fresh fruit to the office once a week. What a great idea. (All of you bosses out there, take note!) Not only will this improve employee morale, it will also contribute to better health and weight management which, in turn, improves employee productivity.

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As you deck the halls with red and green, be sure to deck your plates, too. The holidays come along with all sorts of tasty temptations, so be sure to balance out the naughty with plenty of nice. After all, there are plenty of good New Year's resolutions to make -- why get stuck making a "lose those extra holiday pounds" resolution?

From snacks to side dishes to the main course, nature's versions of red and green are nutritious and delicious. Check out the gallery for a few red and green choices.