Hi, I'm Dylan Dreyer.
Some of you might recognize me as a meteorologist for NBC's Today, but what you might not know
is when I'm not out covering the worst weather this country has to offer I actually prefer
to be at home cooking up a storm of my own.
And you know, I think we all need help sometimes leading that healthier lifestyle.
So, to help me, I've brought in fitness goddess Tiffany Rothe
Tiffany, it's nice to have you here.
Hey, Dylan, so listen, can you make it rain in the kitchen?
I bet you can.
I try, although, hopefully, it's not the sprinkler system going off above from the smoke detectors.
Now Tiffany, you are a force to be reckoned with in the on-line world.
You have more than 750,000 YouTube subscribers which is incredible and your workout routines
have been featured in national magazines like Harper's Bazaar and Women's Health.
You are busy.
Yes, I'm super busy, but you know what?
I'm fortunate because I'm living my passion and I really like to focus on having a fit
lifestyle.
So it's not just about the workouts, it's about how you think, what you eat, and what
your habits are each day.
That's why this so exciting to be here talking about this plus color campaign with you.
It's a whole package.
Yeah.
Since you are such a YouTube sensation, how cool is it to be in the YouTube space
It is awesome!
I love it!
New York, okay, you get a thumbs up, a double thumbs up.
Because this space is awesome, so creative and inspiring and cool has the edginess.
Love it.
Cool is the keyword there.
So, yes, we are here in the YouTube space in New York City.
We have taken it over to launch this plus color initiative, it's the first of it's kind
initiative from the American Heart Association presented by Subway restaurants.
And it's such an easy, simple idea.
It's a national effort about adding just one more cup of fruit and vegetables to your diet.
Yes, so you're talking about one cup which is like two servings right, Dylan?
Yeah and so why is that so important?
Well, you know, it's so important number one because it's such a simple step.
I mean, everybody can add an extra cup of fruits and vegetables to your diet.
It's all about making your life more vibrant and it's also helping to close the gap recommended
what Americans eat fruit and vegetable wise and what were actually eating and it closes
that gap by half.
Wow!
You know, I think it's not just about adding color to your meals, but also to your life.
You know, because when have a colorful meal you you enjoy it more with your friends, the
presentation is great, it encites new conversation, you take more selfies, you share it.
Right just all around is better for you and more vibrant living.
It's certainly true, and it's all about the pictures, too.
And we're not just talking about fresh fruits and vegetables.
Although, that's the best if you can get them, but sometimes you can't so go with the frozen,
the canned, the dried.
They are all good, healthy options.
and they all provide health benefits.
And the American Heart Association is now working with Subway to bring a plus color
life across America.
Like they want to work together to empower Americans to make bold yet achievable goals
you know, because if you take charge of your health it needs to be easy you know...it has
to be something that's really achievable...otherwise you won't do it.
Otherwise your not going to do it.
We won't do it so, if you think about having spinach, cucumbers, green peppers that are
really super accessible, and fresh avacados, I mean, I'd love an avocado right now, today.
Everybody is getting into the action of healthy eating.
It's such easy steps.
And really, I speaking of Subway, I know that I'm always just putting all the extra different
things I can on top and I feel like I'm eating healthier after.
And I know that you probably have an extra special reason why you want to add some more
color to your diet.
Is it obvious?
I'm not hiding it very well.
You look amazing.
Clearly I'm eating for two.
We are expecting our first baby in December which we're so excited about so....eating
healthy and just living a better lifestyle has been extra important recently.
But you also understand the importance of that healthy lifestyle.
Yes, my motto has always been to train the mind, work your body and life the spirit.
And the vibrant living, the healthy lifestyle is really important to lift your spirit.
So, it's not just about, you know, working out and being tough it's really about, you
know, how can I do little changes every day to make a big difference?
And that's enough talking about us.
Let's tell America how they can get involved on the plus color movement.
Step 1-You can check that off, because the first step is just watching.
And you're watching right now and we need you to share these plus color videos and empowering
information on the American Heart Association website.
Heart.org/pluscolor and everyone can go there and learn more about how adding just one cup
of fruits and vegetables can change your life.
Okay, so, I've got to know, are you down with fruits or veggies?
I think I'm fruit, but I do try to add veggies as much as I can to every meal.
What about you?
Well, I'm a fruitaholic, but you know what, as a fitness coach I know you've got to get
those veggies in so I'm always looking for quick and easy ways to get them in and make
sure that I'm feeling good because they really rejuvenate you.
And they're great after a work out.
And you like smoothies, too.
I love smoothies.
And, you know, we want you to weigh in on our plus color Twitter poll.
So we've been asking Americans to vote for their favorites, fruits or veggies.
We started this yesterday and all you have to do is #teamfruit or #teamveggie and we
want to see which one you like.
It'll be interesting.
Don't be straddling the fence there, right America.
Pick a team!
I like to go, you know, straddle both sides because I can't decide.
Yesterday we actually did something really special in New York.
In Union Square we brought out the The American Heart Association's brand new plus color food
truck and we set up shop.
If you're not familiar with Union Square... there's tons of restaurants, but there are
also unhealthy options, too.
Sometimes, you just want to indulge, but this was a day to bring the food truck out and
hand out free food to folks, so we handed out all sorts of different fruits and vegetables.
Skewers with fresh green peppers and cucumbers a little bit of dressing.
We also did fruit skewers with pineapples and strawberries and a little bit of yogurt
dressing.
It was incredible, the feedback we were getting because there were healthy options when there
were unhealthy options nearby and people were really enjoying it.
Yeah, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.
You know what, I also heard they had something I never heard of before.
Avocado frozen pop or something like that.
Yes.
I don't even know who invented the first frozen avocado pop but everyone was just raving about
it.
Yes, I mean, I love avocados, I say that I want one today.
I get it, you love avocados.
So yeah, it was definitely a fun experience to share plus color experience down in New
York City.
So, we had some fun with our plus color campaign yesterday but you're also been doing a lot
with the plus color campaign as well.
Because you are one of the American Heart Association content contributors.
Well, I wanted to blend the goodness of both fruit and veggies as we talked about, but
initially I wanted to say...make a statement about how if you have a bland dish that's
just sort of cream and brown it's not as exciting as if you have a vibrant colored dish.
So I started the video out with black and white and then - ba-ba-boom, you know with
color- and you know, for all my followers out there who really like to know what do
I eat that's healthy after a meal?
I said this is a great smoothie that's after a workout, it has protein, lots of vegetables
so I wanted to inspire them to not only be more vibrant, but healthy.
Awesome and I think we have the video, so lets take a look.
-video- Hi, I'm Tiffany Rothe and I've joined with
the American Heart Association and their national presenting sponsor, Subway, as a part of their
plus color campaign to show that adding a little color to your daily life goes a long
way for the healthy lifestyle.
The smoothie I'm about to make is called "The Friendly Big Green Monster."
It's a recipe created by the AHA for kids but I love it because it's good for everyone.
You'll need one full green apple, 1/4 of a cucumber take the skin off, a skinless kiwi,
two handfuls of spinach, and you're gonna squeeze two tablespoons of lemon and then
we'll need one cup of water.
Delicious.
This is a great way to add some color after any workout.
For more tips on how to get more fruits and vegetables into your diet go to heart.org/pluscolor
Wow!
That was incredible and exactly what we're talking about how easy it is to get more servings
of fruits and veggies into your diet.
Yeah, that's why I really love smoothies because you can just take your fruits and veggies
and throw them in there and it's perfect on the go.
It's easy.
Yes, it makes it so much easier and do you know what?
The nutrients and the vitamins are what really make a difference in your daily life, your
healthy lifestyle.
Studies have shown that nearly 40,000 lives and 7.6 billion dollars in medical costs can
be saved each year just by adding a servings of fruits and vegetable into your diet each
day.
Staggering.
Okay, so clearly, we've moved locations.
We are now in the YouTube space's kitchen area and I'm excited to introduce our next
guest Lanette Kovachi.
Lanette, you have served as the global dietician for Subway restaurants and you've been instrumental
in the chains healthy initiative.
It's so nice to have you here.
It's nice to be here, Dylan, you know, the plus color initiative just goes hand in hand
with Subway philosophy.
We've had so many veggies on our menu forever, they really take a starring role on our menu
and it's just, you know, anyone can come in and really get that plus color on their sandwich.
In fact, a lot of people don't know that you can get one cup of veggies on a 6-inch sub.
That's two servings so it's really great and the other thing is, salads, you can come in
and get your full days worth of veggies on a salad.
It's 2-1/2 cups or 5 servings right there and you're done and you're good to go.
So Lanette, are there some creative ways you can really dress up your salads or your sandwiches
because most people think you know I want some lettuce but we want it to look spicy,
right.
Right, like you don't need just some lettuce.
It's great to add cucumbers, they have a lot of crunch, tomatoes, spinach, red onion.
All that tastes great on almost any sandwich you can make and you get that cup of extra
vegetables.
And not only that, they look beautiful and they pack in tons of nutrition without packing
in a lot of calories so you really that nutrition bang for your buck when you add veggies to
anything, not just a sandwich.
That's what I'm always doing at Subway, I pick out my sandwich and then I stand in front
of the veggies for the next 5 or ten minutes...I want that...I want that...I want that so...
It makes it more fun, too.
I know, it's more enjoyable when eating it.
So this is all great stuff thank you so much for your insight on that, and how we can add
plus color to our six inch sub.
OK, so we mentioned the Twitter poll at the beginning of the show.
Did you vote #teamfruit or #teamveggie?
We didn't ask what yours was?
Well can I do both?
Hahaha.
I think that's allowed.
I skew more to the veggie side.
I know.
And I was skewing a little more towards fruit, but we like them all.
Here's what some of the votes are showing.
Payton from North Caroline went for #teamveggie.
While MaryAnn from Minnisota went for team both.
Ok, so we can do team both.
Because so many people are still voting, we want you to keep voting for a little while
longer so we will bring you the final results on the American Heart Association's Twitter
channel.
And to keep us all thinking and living +color we're asking America, ok, to share their favorite
colorful fruit and veggie pics on Twitter.
And hash with #addcolor.
Your great fruit or veggie photo could be used as part of the AHA's +color social media
throughout the rest of the year.
And remember, all it takes is just one more cup of fruits and veggies any day every day
to make a noticeable healthy change.
Well I want to thank you both of you ladies for being here in our youtube space as we
took it over here in New York and loved hearing your insight.
And I loved just talking about this and making this more a conversation.
Maybe it's something people will think about, when you plan your meals later today.
American this is where you can help.
Please share the YouTube link with you friend and and help us keep plus color growing.
Share, share, share!