The Monthly #ProduceChallenge is now the heart of TheProduceMoms.com.
Each month, on the first day, a calendar is published that highlights a different fruit or vegetable for every day of the month.
The Produce Challenge is a practical guide to help you eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.
It’s not a membership club for dieting and it’s not a restrictive program.
The goal of the Produce Challenge is straightforward: The Produce Mom wants to help you add more fruits and vegetables to your daily routine.
Every month I receive thoughtful emails and stories from readers who have taken the challenge. One recent message from Allyson, a teenager and an officer with FCCLA, really stood out to me. If you remember being a teenage girl, you’ll understand how important confidence and a healthy body image are during that time.
Ally’s experience touched me, and I’m delighted to share her voice here as a guest blogger.
Enjoy!
xoxo Lori
[email protected]
Ally Monson is a senior at Clark High School in Clark, South Dakota. Ally serves as the First Vice President of the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA).
“I am a teenage girl & I love the #ProduceChallenge”
January always feels like a fresh start. I use this month to set simple, realistic goals for myself, and eating better usually tops my list. But many New Year’s resolutions fall apart quickly. I wondered why that happens so often and realized that extreme diets and expensive programs aren’t realistic for most people.
When I found The Produce Mom’s #ProduceChallenge, I immediately thought: I can do this. The challenge is straightforward — a daily focus on a fruit or vegetable — and it doesn’t demand drastic changes or costly memberships. That simplicity made it easy to begin.
I’m now in week three of my first #ProduceChallenge, and the difference is clear. I feel more energetic, and my meals are brighter and more interesting. Having a calendar with a new produce item each day removed the guesswork. I started helping with grocery shopping, adding the featured produce to our list and picking items out with my parents.
My family became my accountability group — we are taking the challenge together. That support has been a big reason why I’ve stuck with it. I wrote the daily items and weekly goals in my planner so I could keep track, and when something wasn’t available I remembered that substitutions are fine. The important part is to keep eating fresh produce, not to follow the calendar rigidly.
So far, everything on the January calendar has been available at our store. The real issue wasn’t availability — it was awareness. Before the challenge, my family seldom explored the produce section beyond their usual picks. Now we’re deliberately trying new fruits and vegetables and learning how to prepare them.
The #ProduceChallenge has made family meals more enjoyable. Instead of feeling like a chore, time in the kitchen has become an opportunity to learn, experiment, and connect. We’ve cooked the recipes that accompany many of the daily items and even created a few of our own dishes. Sharing that creative process has been a highlight of the month.
Beyond the meals themselves, there are clear benefits: more energy, a sense of accomplishment, and an improved relationship with food. The small habit of adding one fresh item a day has helped me feel healthier and more confident. After a month, I’m convinced it’s possible to make healthier eating a sustainable habit without pressure or extremes.
I look forward to continuing the challenge and discovering new flavors. What excites me most is not just trying produce I hadn’t before, but feeling better about myself and keeping that positive momentum through the year. The Produce Challenge is an easy, practical way to eat more fruits and vegetables and build healthy habits that last.
So what are you waiting for? Join me and thousands of FCCLA students across the country — take the #ProduceChallenge and see how small daily changes can add up to big benefits.
Empowered to make a difference,
Ally Monson
First Vice President, National FCCLA