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,
 folate, 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
- oranges
- cucumbers
- squash
- eggplant
- strawberries
- grapefruit
- sweet corn
- green beans
- tangerines
- green peppers
- tomatoes
- watermelon
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:
Remember – More Matters to all of us!
 print
this page
www.doh.state.fl.us
www.tobaccofreeflorida.com
Palm Beach County:
Florenzia Davis, PhD,MS,RD,LD/N
Senior Public Health Nutritionist
(561) 671-4000 x 4048
|
