Improve Your Nutrition, Increase Your Fruit and Vegetable Intake

Almost everyone needs to increase their intake of fruits and vegetables.

Want to know how much is right for you? Go Here: http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/form.html

Benefits:

Protect Your Health – fruits and vegetables contain essential vitamins, minerals and fiber. People who eat generous amounts of fruits and vegetables are likely to have a reduced risk of chronic diseases including stroke, cardiovascular disease and some cancers.

Weight Management – Substituting fruits and vegetables for higher calorie foods can be helpful for managing weight.

Potassium – May help maintain a healthy blood pressure

Vitamin A – Keeps eyes and skin healthy and protects against infections

Vitamin C – Helps heal cuts and wounds and keeps teeth and gums healthy

Be sure to eat a rainbow of colors to get a variety of nutrients.

Tips to eating more fruits and vegetables:

1. Pump up your breakfast – make a vegetable omelet, add a fruit to cereal or on the side
2. Double the vegetables you normally eat at your meals.
3. When making a marinara sauce, load it up with mushrooms, spinach, onions, peppers, garlic, squash and carrots. Use it for spaghetti, pizza, lasagna or dipping sauce
4. Use a fresh new vegetable each week – whatever is in season
5. Make them your snacks – fruits and/or vegetables with dip
6. Start a meal with soup or salad
7. Have fruit as a dessert at all meals
8. Pre wash and cut fruits and vegetables to have them ready to grab or easily accessible to add to any meal
9. Buy frozen vegetables – last longer, cheap and easy to cook quickly
10. Try roasting vegetables – makes vegetables taste amazing
11. Take advantage of farmer’s market
12. Grow your own vegetables

For Recipes go here: http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnparecipe/recipesearch.aspx

Farmers’ Markets in your Area: http://www.localharvest.org/

Try these great recipes:

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1/4 cup crushed walnut pieces
• 1/2 red onion, sliced thin
• 4-5 strawberries, sliced thin
• bottled lite raspberry walnut vinaigrette dressing

Directions:

1. In large bowl combine spinach, walnuts, red onion, and strawberry slices.
2. Toss to Mix.
3. Just before serving add dressing to taste.
4. Divide among 4 salad plates and serve.

Nutrition Facts

Calories per serving: 60

Total fat: 5g

Cholesterol: 0

Sodium: 12.8 mg

Total Carbohydrate: 3.4g

Dietary Fiber 1.1 g

Protein: 1.9g

Easy Vegetable Dip

Servings: 16

Ingredients

• Fiesta Ranch Dip
• Favorite vegetables for dipping (celery, tomatoes, broccoli, cucumbers, etc)

Directions:

1. Mix fiesta ranch dip with 16 oz fat free sour cream
2. Dip your favorite vegetables

Nutrition Facts

1 serving = 2 tablespoons

Calories per serving:  30

Total fat: 0g

Cholesterol: 0

Sodium: 295 mg

Total Carbohydrate: 4g

Dietary Fiber 0 g

Protein: 2g

Mandy Seay is a registered and licensed dietitian. She works as a nutrition consultant in Austin, Texas, specializing in diabetes, weight loss, lipid control and preventative nutrition. For more health articles and nutrition information, check out Mandy’s website Nutritionistics.

***Mandy is not affiliated with any food products listed in her blog, nor is she being compensated, in any way, by any food company.