Fruits &
Veggies – More Matters ™
 We have all heard that we need to eat
more fruits and vegetables. However, it seems that Americans are not
eating what has been recommended. So, we have to wonder, what are we
eating and why is it not fruits and vegetables?
Many people don’t really know what is so good about fruits and vegetables,
why we should eat more, and how to get them into our diets. Thanks to
Fruits & Veggies – More Matters™, help has finally arrived and those
questions are beginning to get answered.
Why should we eat more and how much more should we eat?
A diet rich in fruits and vegetables
can help protect against chronic diseases, such as heart disease. There
certainly is something to the old saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor
away”. Fruits and vegetables are loaded with fiber, magnesium, foliate,
potassium, & vitamins A and C. Aim for variety and color to get the most
benefits. The amount needed, which is based on cup size, depends on
gender, age, and activity level. For men and women, all it takes is one
medium banana and 8 strawberries. That will provide 2 cups of fruit, which
is the most recommended for a day! Specific information can be found at
www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org
under planning and shopping.
How can we get more?
 All
forms of fruits and vegetables count – fresh, frozen, canned, dried, and
100% juice. This makes it easy to eat more fruits and vegetables no matter
the season or your budget. Adding more fruits and veggies to meals and
snacks has never been easier! The following list offers some tasty and
easy ways to get more:
- Add chopped veggies to soups or quesadillas
- Add beans to salads and vegetable soup
- Add 100% juice to smoothies
- Top pizza with favorite veggies
- Add veggies, such as carrots, zucchini, and potatoes
to meatloaf
- Top your sandwiches with lettuce, tomato, and avocado
- Add fruit to salads, such as dried cranberries or
cherries
- Add sunflower seeds to salads for an added crunch
- Toss in some blueberries or strawberries to cereal
Fall freshness from Florida
Fall
is around the corner, which means that Florida will begin its peak season
for offering the tastiest fruits and vegetables. Even though the
temperature will begin to cool off, these delicious gifts from the garden
are getting hotter! Look for the following locally grown fall fruits and
veggies:
 |
Avocado
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Grapefruit
Green beans
Green peppers
Watermelon |
Oranges
Squash
Strawberries
Sweet corn
Tangerines
Tomatoes
|
Other Fall fruits and veggies
Other seasonal fruits and veggies
(nation wide) include: apples, broccoli, coconuts, cauliflower,
cranberries, grapes, garlic, mushrooms, pears, pumpkin, sweet potatoes,
turnips, etc.
For more information about fruits and veggies, please visit the following
websites:
 print
this page
www.doh.state.fl.us
www.floridaonthemove.org
Palm Beach County:
Florenzia Davis, PhD,MS,RD,LD/N
Senior Public Health Nutritionist
(561) 681-2524 x106 |
