The Natural Way to Eat the Rainbow

[caption id="attachment_9203" align="alignright" width="403" caption="Color Vibe 5K 2012"][/caption]

When this time of year rolls around it is always a great idea to remind yourself to eat the rainbow by pursing colorful fruits and vegetables. Lean away from the beige food groups and replacing them with bright colors.

A good starting point would be adding vegetables to some of your at-home favorites. Try H3’s Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli recipe. This recipe hits home with a healthy combo of comfort and colors.

Add color to each meal and by the end of the day you will have a rainbow of colors in your body. Adding colorful fruits and vegetables to your nutrition plan means adding nutrients to your body. The more fruits and vegetables you eat means you’re also consuming more nutrients, thus developing a healthier immune system. Hopefully, leading to no cold or flu this season.



Last weekend Jen Welper, Lindsay Martin and I participated in the ColorVibe 5K. We were happily covered in colored powder, reminding us to have fun, be active and eat the rainbow.

"Eat your fruits and vegetables”

“Eat your fruits and vegetables!” You have likely heard this statement more than a few times. Well, how much? Check out the fruit and vegetable calculator available on The Center for Disease Control and Prevention website. Here you can calculate according to your age, sex, and activity level about how many fruits and vegetables you should consume a day.

Fruits and veggies are packed with delicious nutrients. Remember to eat the rainbow, and aim for a multitude of colors. Below is a chart to guide you on what a proper serving of fruits and vegetables is.

Use this chart as a brainstorm of new fruits and vegetables you should try! Zest up your meals with new items to avoid getting bored with your amazing healthy dinners!

Servings sizes and ExchangeList for Fruits & Vegetables
Vegetable	Serving Size	Fruit	Serving Size
Artichokes plain	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Apple	1 small, whole
Artichoke hearts	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Applesauce	1/2 cup
Asparagus	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Apricots	4 whole
Beans, green, wax	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Apricots	8 halves
Bean sprouts	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Apricots, canned	1/2 cup
Beets	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Banana, small	1 each
Broccoli	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Blackberries	3/4 cup
Brussel Sprouts	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Blueberries	3/4 cup
Cabbage	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Cantaloupe, sm	1/3 melon
Carrots	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Cherries, fresh	12 each or 3 oz
Cauliflower	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Dates	3
Celery	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Figs, fresh	1 1/2 large or 2 med
Cucumber	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Figs, dried	1 1/2 each
Eggplant	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Fruit Cocktail	1/2 cup
Green onions	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Grapefruit, large	1/2 each
Greens, collard, kale, mustard	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Grapes, small	17 each or 3 oz.
Kholrabi	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Honeydew	1 cup cubes
Leeks	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Kiwi	1 each
Mixed Vegetables without corn, pasta or peas	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Mandarin Oranges	3/4 cup
Mushrooms	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Mango,small	1/2 fruit or 1/2 cup
Okra	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Nectarine, small	1 (5 oz)
Onions	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Orange, small	1 each (6 1/2 oz)
Pea Pods	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Papaya	1 cup cubes
Peppers, all colors	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Peach, medium	1 each (6 oz)
Radishes	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Peaches, canned	1/2 cup
Salad Greens, endive, escarole, lettuce, romaine	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Pear, large	1/2 or 4 oz
Spinach	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Pears, canned	1/2 cup
Sauerkraut	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Pineapple, fresh	3/4 cup
Summer squash	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Pineapple, canned	1/2 cup
Tomato	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Plums, small	2 each
Tomtaoes, canned	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Plums, canned	1/2 cup
Turnips	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Plums, dried(prunes)	3 each
Water Chestnuts	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Raisins	2 Tablespoons
Watercress	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Raspberries	1 cup
Zucchini	1/2 c C / 1 c. R	Strawberries	1 1/4 cup whole berries
		Tangerins, small	2 each or 8 oz
For all vegetables 1/2 cup cooked		Watermelon	1 slice, 1 1/4 cup cubes
or 1 cup RAW

Why You Should be Shopping at the Farmer's Market

Piggy backing off of Chef Jen’s post on Gardening tips; I’d like to share with you my new found love of local Farmer’s Markets. I’m not much of a gardener but I’ve found that shopping at the Farmer’s Market is the next best thing. Not only do I know that I’m buying fresh produce, but I also feel good knowing that I’m supporting my community, get advice from local farmers and enjoy the family-friendly atmosphere.  

Whether shopping in the grocery store, neighborhood farmer’s market or in your own garden, it’s important to know what’s in season. Purchasing ingredients that are in season will make your meals more flavorful, and can also mean spending less on sometimes pricey fruits and vegetables. The key is to be flexible. Instead of shoveling out more for blueberries, you may want to buy strawberries because they’re on sale. Typically, items that are on sale are in season—when in doubt, do a little research.  In South Carolina this time of year, cumbers, peaches, peppers,  sweet potatoes and one of H3’s favorites— summer squash are all in-season (I love this Butternut Squash Soup healthy recipe).  Since I know what’s growing in my area, I can plan my meals accordingly.

Go a step further and look for foods that are grown locally. This cuts down on the damage caused to the environment on shipping produce, supports local family farms, and gives you and your family the opportunity to enjoy un-bruised, organic, fresh produce. The Culinary Arts Center at Hilton Head Health visits the Farmer’s Market of Bluffton every other week from 2:00-7:00 pm. If you’re in the area, stop by our tent to view a free cooking demonstration and have Chef Karla show you how to pick out ripe produce.   

Experimenting with new seasonal recipes is fun and helps you get in your servings of fruit and vegetables. The new H3 cooking school, the Culinary Arts Center (CAC), will provide a variety of culinary classes including some focusing on seasonal produce. More information and a class schedule are available on the H3 website and CAC Facebook Page.

Lower Your Risk: Be Sure to Clean Your Fruits and Vegetables

If you are one of the 48 million who has experienced the unpleasant symptoms of food poisoning each year, I am sure that it is something you never want to go through again. While most of you know that animal products such as chicken, beef, pork and eggs can be the culprit, you may be surprised to find out that in recent years there have been large outbreaks of food borne illnesses caused by fruits and vegetables including spinach, tomatoes and lettuce.

According to the FDA, if you follow these nine recommendations you can dramatically lower your risk.

1. Do not buy damaged or bruised produce.


2. Refrigerate precut items such as watermelon and lettuce.


3. Wash your hands for 20 seconds with warm water and soap before and after preparing fresh produce.


4. Cut  away damaged or bruised areas before preparing or eating.


5. Gently rub produce while holding it under plain running water. There is no need to use soap or a produce wash.


6. Wash produce BEFORE you peel it, so dirt  and bacteria aren’t transferred from the knife onto the fruit or vegetable. 


7. Use a clean vegetable brush to scrub firm produce, such as melons and cucumber.


8. Dry produce with a clean cloth or paper towel to further reduce bacteria that may be present.


9. Throw away the outer most leaves of a head of lettuce or cabbage.

To see these recommendations in action view the video below. For more information on food safety in general, visit to www.foodsafety.gov.

How to eat 5 A Day without even realizing

“You’re not leaving this table until you eat your vegetables.”  Do you hear your mother’s voice in your head, prompting you to eat your greens because they are good for you?  Like most things mother’s say, it turns out she was right. 

 

By now, everyone knows that fruits and vegetables are good for you.  Why?  Because your mother said so, that’s why.  Actually, most fruits and vegetables are low in calories and provide the essential nutrients and fiber you need to stay healthy.  Those who eat lots of fruits and veggies, compared to those who don’t, had a reduced risk of stroke, type 2 diabetes, cancer and heart disease. 

 

The average American should be aiming to consume anywhere from 5 – 10 cups of fruits and vegetables per day.  Whether you are at the high or low end depends on your daily caloric needs, which is determined by your age, gender and activity level.  However, shoot for 5 - and you will be doing better than most.  To see your recommended amount, fill out this questionnaire.

 

Instead of bothering with servings, the CDC has a new recommendation to count cups.  The fruit and vegetable recommendations are listed as cups because it is easier for most people to relate to amounts in household measurements rather than as servings only.  In general, 1 cup of raw or cooked vegetables or 100% vegetable juice, or 2 cups of raw leafy greens can be considered as 1 cup from the vegetable group*. One cup of fruit or 100% fruit juice, or ½ cup of dried fruit can be considered as 1 cup from the fruit group.

Click here to see examples of what counts as a cup. 

 

Let me guess, you are probably thinking…how am I going to eat that many fruits and vegetables in one day and not feel like a rabbit?  Read on for an example meal plan that sneaks in over 5 ‘cups’ of fruits and vegetables.

Wright from the Source: Fruits & Veggies

By Bob Wright, H3 Director of Education

If there is one thing we know beyond a shadow of a doubt, it is that fruits and vegetables are good for us. Yet only 23% of us consume the recommended minimum of 5 servings a day.

 

According to a  recent CDC report , fewer than 15% meet the target of getting a variety of different color fruits and vegetable. The evidence is over whelming, a diet rich in colorful fruits and vegetables lower the risk of virtually every chronic disease, including obesity.

 

If you are one of the few meeting the guideline congratulations, keep up the  great work. If you are among the 85% that are not, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR.  Start today.

 

 

For great recipes, check out the member’s only section of our website.

For more information about the many benefits of fruits and vegetable and other tasty recipes go to www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov and www.aicr.org (American Institute for Cancer Reseach.)