Here’s a quick test of your nutrition knowledge.

How many cups of fruits and vegetables should be eaten in a balanced diet each day?

The answer is five, in some combination, though you can’t count that tomato on your burger as a full serving of veggies.

That was one of many tips sprinkled throughout a 90-minute cooking demonstration Monday as registered dietician Doreen Foland cooked up a health-conscious menu as part of the Hamilton County Health Challenge.

"Most people actually eat only two servings of fruits and vegetables each day," Foland said. "That’s definitely an area where we as a society lack."

Foland stuck to a "Live Well" theme while cooking up a health-conscious Texas Skillet Dinner, Hawaiian Ambrosia and cheesecake recipe which featured healthier substitutes.

"Trying to get people motivated to live a healthy lifestyle is a difficult thing to do because we’re bombarded with eat-everything-fast and convenience," she said in a presentation at The Leadership Center. "It’s hard to break those habits and eat healthy again and I think the key is starting young. A lot of people don’t know how to cook anymore because that’s how they’ve been raised."

There is hope, Foland assured her health-conscious audience.

"What I try to get across is to focus more on what you’re lacking in your eating and get more of that, rather than what you’re getting too much of," she explained. "You can tweak the things you’re eating to make them healthier, which is a great way to start."

Take your favorite family recipe, for example.

"You may like your hand-me-down recipes from Grandma, but realize that it may not be that healthy. You can adapt those recipes to make them a little more healthy to fit your lifestyle."

Sensational substitutes are the key, Foland noted. Rather than a half cup of butter, try using a quarter cup of applesauce mixed with a quarter cup of canola oil.

Instead of a heavy helping of cheddar cheese, try using a sharper brand of cheddar, but less of it.

And instead of a heavy pie crust, substitute crunched up vanilla wafers.

"You can easily increase nutrition and trim the fat in many of your favorite recipes by using healthier alternatives," she said.

Another key ingredient to healthy eating is using nutrient-rich foods as a foundation. Foland said you can get more "bang for your calorie" by making sure everything you put in your mouth has good nutrients in it.

"If I were to eat a cookie, about the only nutrient is what I get out of the flour," she noted. "I’m not getting much protein or vitamins out of that. That’s what the live well philosophy has to do with. Be conscientious when you’re cooking that you’re getting the nutrients you need."

Healthy eating can also be fun, Foland observed. She encouraged people to be adventurous, picking out a fruit or vegetable they’ve never tried before in their next trip to the grocery store.

"We kind of get in a rut where we make the same things all the time because that’s easy for us," she said. "We know how to cook with those things. You need to expand your tastes and variety of the foods that you eat."

When picking out a new vegetable, the more colorful the better.

"The more rich in color the more nutrients that are in it," Foland said. "You should really try to choose and develop tastes for brightly-colored vegetables."

At the end of the evening, participates got a taste test of a Texas Skillet Dinner loaded with extra vegetables. Foland noted that it’s easy to boost your veggie count by adding ingredients, even if they’re not in the recipe.

"You can always try to add vegetables, even to things like a frozen pizza," she advised. "I’m not here to judge you. Everything can be consumed in moderation. The key is to find ways to be sensible with your eating."

At the end of the day, living well is about more than spicing up your cooking with more fruits and vegetables, she added.

"Eating and exercise do go hand in hand," Foland said. "You can’t lose weight with one or the other. It’s almost impossible."

So, be realistic, making small changes over time. Be flexible, balancing what you eat and the physical activity you do over several days. Be sensible, enjoying all foods in moderation. And be active.

"Walk the dog," she said. "Just don’t watch the dog walk."

To find more fruit and vegetable recipes, try these websites: www.fruitsandvegiesmatter.gov and www.mypyramid.gov.