10 fruits and veggies to add to your diet

Most weight-loss plans advise participants to consume five or more servings of fruit and vegetables daily. It's advice we've all heard before, but it still causes some to groan.

Before you chomp into another baby carrot, take note that studies indicate repeating the same fruits and veggies day-after-day won't help you lose as much weight as changing them up every once in a while. A whole world of produce awaits -- become a produce explorer.

A recent issue of Men's Health magazine can be your guide. Nutrition specialist Jonny Bowden listed the 10 best foods you're not eating, and the majority of them grow on trees or in the ground. Here's his abridged list.

Beets. Talk about groaning. I haven't eaten beets since I was a wee one and Mom tried to feed them to me from a baby food jar. I'm told beets are sweet, perhaps the sweetest of all veggies, and folks who like them really like them. They're a good source for folate and betaine, two compounds that reduce inflammation that can harm arteries and increase heart disease risk. According to beet lovers, roasting beets, similar to baking potatoes, produces grand results.

Cabbage. Now here's a veggie I love. I collect cabbage slaw recipes, and although cooking cabbage doesn't give off the best aroma, cooked cabbage delivers a terrific sweet flavor I enjoy. Cabbage is both low in calories (22 per cup) and high in good-for-you nutrients.

Guava. They look like green apples, but unlike apples you can eat everything, including the seeds. The flesh can be pink or creamy white with an aroma like apple or passionfruit. It's packed with vitamins A, B and C. Some call it a super fruit.

Swiss chard. Never seen it? Picture overgrown spinach with a white or reddish stem and veins. Trim the stem and start cooking it first, then shred the leaves and add them last. Its natural carotenoids can help protect aging eyes.

Purslane. Slightly sour and salty, the FDA classifies purslane as a weed, Europeans and Asians consider it a salad green. Use it in a salad and benefit from its ultra-high content of heart-healthy omega-3s.

Goji berries. I've only tried these trendy berries dried (they taste like a cross between cranberries and cherries), but Bowden writes they can be found fresh, too. Tufts University ranks goji berries near the top in antioxidant power. I've ground them and added the powder to a morning protein shake.

Dried plums. Granddad was right about prunes -- they're packed with natural fiber. They may also combat a nasty free radical that's considered to be one of the primary causes of cancer. Pick some up; they taste better than they look.

Try this recipe: If you want to change up your dinners as well, try these turkey burgers. Burgers made from all-white-meat ground turkey have a well-deserved reputation for dryness, but these made with ground dark meat are a moist, tasty alternative. Look for ground dark turkey meat Whole Foods Markets or substitute all-dark-meat ground chicken or a mix of ground chicken and ground turkey.

Out-of-this-World Turkey Burger

2 slices firm, whole-grain sandwich bread, torn into about 1-inch pieces

4 large or 3 medium garlic cloves, peeled and trimmed

1½ large onions, peeled, trimmed and cut into chunks

12 ounces fresh shitake mushrooms, stems removed

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 medium carrot, peeled and grated

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons ketchup

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

½ cup skim milk

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

1½ pounds 95-percent lean ground (all dark meat) turkey

In a food processor, with the steel blade, process bread until fine. Remove to a medium bowl and set aside.

With food processor running, drop garlic cloves through feed tube and process until minced, about 10 seconds. Stop processor; add onion chunks and, pulsing, process until just chopped. Remove onion mixture to a small bowl. Set aside.

Add mushrooms to processor and process until very finely chopped. Set aside.

Place a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat and, when hot, add oil. Add onion/garlic mixture and cook, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes or until softened. Add mushrooms, carrot, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid mushrooms give off evaporates, about 10 minutes. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and mustard, then transfer to a large bowl and cool.

While vegetables cool, stir milk into breadcrumbs and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in egg and egg white and then vegetables and mix until well combined. Add turkey and mix well with clean hands.

Form into 6 patties and broil, sauté or grill, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side until nicely browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of each burger registers 165-degrees.

Serves six.

Nutrition values per serving: 247 calories (29.5 percent from fat), 8 g fat (2.8 g saturated fat), 13.1 g carbohydrates, 2.2 g fiber, 27.2 g protein, 59 mg cholesterol, 703 mg sodium.

SaltSense: Omitting added salt reduces sodium per serving to 316 mg.