Health News
What Colors Are Your Fruits and Vegetables?
by Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom
One key to good health is a ?colorful plate.? Colorful fruits and veggies are loaded with vitamins and minerals, as well as ?phytochemicals.? That?s a fancy word for plant nutrients that vary depending with color of the produce - the stuff that provides color to your food also provides these value-added nutrients. And, each color contains different phytochemicals, so variety counts for optimal nutrient concentration! Aim for 5 servings a day ? even though recent recommendations boost that to 7-9 for many people. It?s tough enough to get ?5 a day,? and some is better than none.
Don?t forget ?white? and ?black? foods as well. I?m not talking about white bread ? but about vegetables like parsnips, leeks, onions and garlic. Try some black beans or black sesame seeds, or blackberries (well, they?re actually dark blue!).
And what about those gourmet vegetables in unusual colors? Stick with the traditional colors of fruits and vegetables for optimal health benefits and price. While you?ll find yellow and orange peppers beside the standard green ones, the cost can be 3-4 times higher! The same goes for yellow tomatoes, red celery; orange cauliflower, white eggplant, and yellow watermelon; the colors are exotic, but the price is sky-high. The best way to put color in your plate is to mix and match what you enjoy, not what you feel you should be eating. Try a fruit salad ? fresh, canned, or frozen fruits (skip the syrupy kind) - with endless ways to combine your favorites. A vegetable soup is as easy as combining some reduced-sodium beef or chicken broth, or tomato soup, with a bag or two of your favorite unsauced, frozen mixed vegetable combinations.
How do you add color to your diet? Share your thoughts!
- Vegetable Imposters
By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom We?re all looking for ways to boost our vegetable intake. With national guidelines creeping up regularly, it?s a challenge for most people to get even the minimum recommendation of five daily servings of fruits and vegetables....
- Healthy Eating In Black And White: Part Two
By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom You might be surprised to know that an important health-promoting antioxidant called anthocyanin also provides a dark purple/black pigment to a wide variety of foods. Like the foods described earlier this week, many nutrient-dense...
- Check Your Freezer To Save Money, Eat Healthy
by Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom Food prices are soaring, and it?s not your imagination that the cost of healthy foods seems to be rising by the day. Fresh fruits and vegetables are especially out of control. Even the usual ways to cut costs don?t seem to work...
- Hearty Harvest Ideas For The Fall Season
by Lindsay A. Martin MS, RD, LDN, Northwest Hospital As the fall weather sneaks in, the leaves fall and the holidays roll in, there are so many harvesting fruits and vegetables to help jazz up the dinner plate to perfection. The fall menus are packed...
- Can Fruits And Vegetables Really Improve Brain Power?
Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables definitely adds variety and nutrition to your eating plan, but what other health benefits do they provide? Phytochemicals are plant compounds found in many fruits and vegetables that are thought to help prevent certain...
Health News
What Colors Are Your Fruits and Vegetables?
What Colors Are Your Fruits and Vegetables?
by Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom
One key to good health is a ?colorful plate.? Colorful fruits and veggies are loaded with vitamins and minerals, as well as ?phytochemicals.? That?s a fancy word for plant nutrients that vary depending with color of the produce - the stuff that provides color to your food also provides these value-added nutrients. And, each color contains different phytochemicals, so variety counts for optimal nutrient concentration! Aim for 5 servings a day ? even though recent recommendations boost that to 7-9 for many people. It?s tough enough to get ?5 a day,? and some is better than none.
Don?t forget ?white? and ?black? foods as well. I?m not talking about white bread ? but about vegetables like parsnips, leeks, onions and garlic. Try some black beans or black sesame seeds, or blackberries (well, they?re actually dark blue!).
And what about those gourmet vegetables in unusual colors? Stick with the traditional colors of fruits and vegetables for optimal health benefits and price. While you?ll find yellow and orange peppers beside the standard green ones, the cost can be 3-4 times higher! The same goes for yellow tomatoes, red celery; orange cauliflower, white eggplant, and yellow watermelon; the colors are exotic, but the price is sky-high. The best way to put color in your plate is to mix and match what you enjoy, not what you feel you should be eating. Try a fruit salad ? fresh, canned, or frozen fruits (skip the syrupy kind) - with endless ways to combine your favorites. A vegetable soup is as easy as combining some reduced-sodium beef or chicken broth, or tomato soup, with a bag or two of your favorite unsauced, frozen mixed vegetable combinations.
How do you add color to your diet? Share your thoughts!
- Vegetable Imposters
By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom We?re all looking for ways to boost our vegetable intake. With national guidelines creeping up regularly, it?s a challenge for most people to get even the minimum recommendation of five daily servings of fruits and vegetables....
- Healthy Eating In Black And White: Part Two
By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom You might be surprised to know that an important health-promoting antioxidant called anthocyanin also provides a dark purple/black pigment to a wide variety of foods. Like the foods described earlier this week, many nutrient-dense...
- Check Your Freezer To Save Money, Eat Healthy
by Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom Food prices are soaring, and it?s not your imagination that the cost of healthy foods seems to be rising by the day. Fresh fruits and vegetables are especially out of control. Even the usual ways to cut costs don?t seem to work...
- Hearty Harvest Ideas For The Fall Season
by Lindsay A. Martin MS, RD, LDN, Northwest Hospital As the fall weather sneaks in, the leaves fall and the holidays roll in, there are so many harvesting fruits and vegetables to help jazz up the dinner plate to perfection. The fall menus are packed...
- Can Fruits And Vegetables Really Improve Brain Power?
Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables definitely adds variety and nutrition to your eating plan, but what other health benefits do they provide? Phytochemicals are plant compounds found in many fruits and vegetables that are thought to help prevent certain...