joanne
09-23-02, 10:06 AM
Aired on Canada am..talk show...
Since you were a kid you've heard that fruits and vegetables are good for you. But are you eating enough of them? Nutrition expert Leslie Beck tells you exactly what you need and gives you some easy ideas on how to add them to our diet.
Q - How many servings of fruit and vegetables should we eat everyday?
We need to get at least 5 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, so I tell my clients that, because different fruits and vegetables contain different vitamins and protective plant chemicals, they should strive to eat at least 3 different coloured vegetables and 3 different coloured fruits each day.
Many nutrients and phytochemicals account for the plants colour. For instance, orange coloured fruits and vegetables (carrots, squash, sweet potato, mango, papaya, apricots, peaches, and nectarines) contain beta-carotene, a nutrient that might help prevent lung cancer.
Dark green vegetables are good sources of beta-carotene, but they also supply a fair amount of folate, a B vitamin that may help reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.
Red coloured fruits and vegetables contain lycopene, a natural chemical that's linked with a lower risk of prostate cancer - tomatoes, canned tomatoes, pink grapefruit, guava juice, watermelon.
Q - What's a serving?
A serving is smaller than many people think - it's not hard to eat 5 to 10 servings per day. One serving is:
3/4 cup (175 ml) of 100% fruit or vegetable juice
1/2 cup (125 ml) cooked or canned vegetables or fruit
1 cup (250 ml) raw leafy vegetables
1/4 cup dried fruit
1 whole fruit
1 cup fruit salad
Remember, five is the minimum - the more the better!
Q - What's an easy way to get more fruit and vegetables in my diet?
Plan your day, map fruit and vegetables into your meals.
For starters, always include at least one fruit serving at breafast. The best bet is a fruit high in vitamin C - orange, grapefruit, kiwi, strawberries. That's because vitamin C enhances your body's ability to absorb the iron in your whole grain cereal or bread.
Plan to include one vegetable at lunch - vegetable or tomato juice, a snack size bag of baby carrots, bell pepper strips, leftover salad, spinach leaves and tomato slices on your sandwich.
Bring 1 or 2 pieces of fruit to work with you to snack on.
Always cook 2 vegetables at dinner - not one. And remember tomato sauce on pasta counts as a vegetable serving. Now all you need is a side salad or extra vegetables added to your sauce.
If you commit to planning your day like this then you are already at the minimum of 5 servings. And if your portions sizes are bigger, you're getting even more.
Other ways to sneak more vegetables into your diet
Fortify soups, pasta sauces and casseroles with grated carrot and zucchini.
Add grated zucchini to muffin batters
Baked a sweet potato for a change instead of a regular potato or rice.
Add romaine lettuce to sandwiches.
Add a bunch of spinach to tomato sauce.
Add chopped kale to soups.
ook squash and sweet potato in chicken broth, puree and you've a vegetable rich soup.
Q - Do frozen and canned count too?
Yes they do. Frozen vegetables are often higher in certain nutrients because they are frozen very soon after picking. If you want fresh vegetables out of season, they can lose some nutrients during the time it takes to transport the produce to the store and the amount of time the vegetables sits in the store and then your fridge. If you buy frozen, avoid those sold with high fat sauces. As for canned vegetables, they can be high in salt so choose low sodium brands.
If you eat canned fruit, buy fruit canned in its own juice or water. Avoid those with syrup added. And today there are many brands that offer individual serving sizes of canned fruit, these are great to take to work or pack in kid's lunches for a mid day snack.
Since you were a kid you've heard that fruits and vegetables are good for you. But are you eating enough of them? Nutrition expert Leslie Beck tells you exactly what you need and gives you some easy ideas on how to add them to our diet.
Q - How many servings of fruit and vegetables should we eat everyday?
We need to get at least 5 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, so I tell my clients that, because different fruits and vegetables contain different vitamins and protective plant chemicals, they should strive to eat at least 3 different coloured vegetables and 3 different coloured fruits each day.
Many nutrients and phytochemicals account for the plants colour. For instance, orange coloured fruits and vegetables (carrots, squash, sweet potato, mango, papaya, apricots, peaches, and nectarines) contain beta-carotene, a nutrient that might help prevent lung cancer.
Dark green vegetables are good sources of beta-carotene, but they also supply a fair amount of folate, a B vitamin that may help reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.
Red coloured fruits and vegetables contain lycopene, a natural chemical that's linked with a lower risk of prostate cancer - tomatoes, canned tomatoes, pink grapefruit, guava juice, watermelon.
Q - What's a serving?
A serving is smaller than many people think - it's not hard to eat 5 to 10 servings per day. One serving is:
3/4 cup (175 ml) of 100% fruit or vegetable juice
1/2 cup (125 ml) cooked or canned vegetables or fruit
1 cup (250 ml) raw leafy vegetables
1/4 cup dried fruit
1 whole fruit
1 cup fruit salad
Remember, five is the minimum - the more the better!
Q - What's an easy way to get more fruit and vegetables in my diet?
Plan your day, map fruit and vegetables into your meals.
For starters, always include at least one fruit serving at breafast. The best bet is a fruit high in vitamin C - orange, grapefruit, kiwi, strawberries. That's because vitamin C enhances your body's ability to absorb the iron in your whole grain cereal or bread.
Plan to include one vegetable at lunch - vegetable or tomato juice, a snack size bag of baby carrots, bell pepper strips, leftover salad, spinach leaves and tomato slices on your sandwich.
Bring 1 or 2 pieces of fruit to work with you to snack on.
Always cook 2 vegetables at dinner - not one. And remember tomato sauce on pasta counts as a vegetable serving. Now all you need is a side salad or extra vegetables added to your sauce.
If you commit to planning your day like this then you are already at the minimum of 5 servings. And if your portions sizes are bigger, you're getting even more.
Other ways to sneak more vegetables into your diet
Fortify soups, pasta sauces and casseroles with grated carrot and zucchini.
Add grated zucchini to muffin batters
Baked a sweet potato for a change instead of a regular potato or rice.
Add romaine lettuce to sandwiches.
Add a bunch of spinach to tomato sauce.
Add chopped kale to soups.
ook squash and sweet potato in chicken broth, puree and you've a vegetable rich soup.
Q - Do frozen and canned count too?
Yes they do. Frozen vegetables are often higher in certain nutrients because they are frozen very soon after picking. If you want fresh vegetables out of season, they can lose some nutrients during the time it takes to transport the produce to the store and the amount of time the vegetables sits in the store and then your fridge. If you buy frozen, avoid those sold with high fat sauces. As for canned vegetables, they can be high in salt so choose low sodium brands.
If you eat canned fruit, buy fruit canned in its own juice or water. Avoid those with syrup added. And today there are many brands that offer individual serving sizes of canned fruit, these are great to take to work or pack in kid's lunches for a mid day snack.