A recent article  related a study from the New England Journal of Medicine.  In it they learned a group of people taking vitamin supplements did not have a lower risk of cancer, whereas another group eating the foods that contained those vitamins DID have a lower incidence of cancer. When you eat fruits and vegetables there are so many nutrients contained in them that we may not even be aware of.  Each of these vitmains, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals all work together for MAXIMUM absorbtion.  If you instead take those vitamins in supplement form, you may miss out on some of the other vitamins that assist in your body utilizing those vitmains to the fullest.  While I am all for taking a good multi-vitamin, and HIGHLY encourage it, it should not be taking the place of a good healthy diet. 

So here is our vitamin cupboard:

Once home from the grocery store, I chop shred, dice, bag, whatever needs to be done so we can eat them easily for snacking, or I can have one less step to do when preparing vegetables for meals.  I like to both chop and grate carrots.  Chopping makes them easy for snacking, and grating makes them easy to add to dinner recipes.  Then I store on a shelf low enough for my kids to notice when they are looking for something to snack on.   Just like Gina: for snacking there are no rules when it comes to snacking on vegetables. You can have as much as you like, whenever youlike.