Sometimes I experiment with my body. I've tried several types of exercise, from weightlifting to biking to hiking to running. I've tried many types of supplements, from weight gainer powder to Creatine to vitamins to herbs. I've tried a bevy of drugs, from marijuana to alcohol to painkillers to amphetamines. All my efforts have given me certain satisfactions and pitfalls, but this year I began an experiment I should have attempted years ago: I started eating my fruits and vegetables.

Early this year, the government came out with new guidelines to eating healthy, and the most significant change occurred in the fruits and veggies category. Instead of two or three items per day, the health department stated Americans should eat five fruits and veggies a day. To be specific, they stress two fruits and three vegetables. In late January, it dawned on me that I didn't eat very many fruits and vegetables at all, let alone five-a-day. Starting in February, I began my experiment. Eat three to five fruits and vegetables a day and see what happens.

To my credit, I'm not really overweight. I already steer clear of most fast-food. No McDonald's or Subway crap. I don't eat candy bars, Gatorade, or much soda pop. I do go to the local Lotaburger (they don't cook the burger until you order it), local burrito stands (Acapulco and Hacienda), and enjoy a root beer float as much as the next guy. I eat a variety of styles of food from New Mexican to Thai to Greek to Italian. I'm open to new flavors and different preparations of meals. Even with this diversity, I noticed that fruits and veggies were the least represented food group in all the meals. Lots of meat and potatoes, lots of bread and rice, lots of cheese and cream. Some meals came with salads or a pickle, but unless you specifically asked for fruits or veggies, they did not appear more than a smattering in most dishes.

I had to be proactive to succeed in my experiment. I went to the local Farmer's Market and stocked up. My only rule was that it had to be stuff I could eat raw. While I enjoy cooking certain dishes, I wanted my fruits and veggie intake to be self contained and easily measured. One apple equals one fruit, one avocado equals one vegetable. That sort of thing.

I found there to be plenty of different options to get my daily five. On the basic fruit side, there are apples, oranges, bananas, pears, mangos, grapes, nectarines, peaches, lemons, limes, strawberries, blueberries, pineapples, kiwis, and plums. That doesn't count the exotic stuff that comes in season. On the basic vegetable side, I went with carrots, tomatoes, avocados, bean sprouts, mushrooms, peppers (green, red, and golden), onions, broccoli, asparagus, and of course, New Mexican green chili. I usually bought around sixteen dollars worth of produce, and that would get me two weeks worth. Basically, my experiment cost me less than ten dollars a week.

I was on the wrong side of 195 pounds when I started. A little on the heavy side for me, but I'd been hanging out around 190 for a while. Some vegetable flavors took some getting used to, but after a couple weeks, my body actually looked forward to things like broccoli and mushrooms. Some days, I would eat too many fruits and veggies (because no other food was in the house), and I got headaches on the overload. Other days, I would get chills and feel uncomfortable. I didn't know what was going on at first. Was I having some adverse reaction to all this foreign food? After about three weeks, I figured out what was happening. I was losing weight!

Lots of magazines swear to diets that drop ten pounds in 10 days. I can attest that you don't want this to happen. I was losing about a pound a week, and it felt weird. Fat cells that had been dormant for years were suddenly shook up, and without getting too graphic, my gas output increased.

A late flu bug swept through my town in March, and many people went down with the sickness including my roommate. Usually if he gets sick, then it would be only a matter of time before I caught the bug myself. It did not occur. Aside from a minor cough, I stayed healthy. In fact, I've had no serious health ailment since my experiment began.

It's been three months since I started eating my fruits and veggies, and I'm ready to claim the experiment a success. At the moment, I weigh around 182 (Lose 12 pounds in 12 weeks!), and I don't think my body is done changing. I don't feel like Superman or Mr. Health, but I don't feel sickly either. I still eat meat, carbs, dairy and the like. Living on fruits and veggies alone would be lame, but living without them at all is even more pathetic.

So if you want to improve your body and health, take some Jungle advice and actually add something to your diet: 3-5 fruits and veggies a day. Don't think of it as some diet you will quit once you lose the pounds you want, but rather, realize that better health doesn't come in a pill or some carb counter scheme. It's actually a lot simpler than you think.

The funny thing is that I got the idea from the United States Health Department. I guess the government has some good points to it after all. Go figure.

Chris Jungle enjoys an experimental lifestyle.