Posted Mar 18, 2009
Registered Dietitian Nora Limas says:
Fruit: Apples
–Apples are high in vitamin C, an antioxidant, which helps to promote good health.
–Apples are high in fiber, which has been shown to help with different diseases, such as heart disease.
–Apples are inexpensive.
Vegetable: Broccoli
–Broccoli is high in vitamin C, vitamin K, which helps with blood clotting.
–Broccoli is high in fiber, which helps to lower cholesterol, helps with heart disease, and health of the digestive system.
Grain-rich food: Oatmeal
–Oats have fiber.
–To boost the nutrient content and flavor of your oatmeal, try adding skim milk, which has vitamin D, calcium and phosphorous. You can also sweeten with Sweet ‘N Low.
–Dark leafy greens have very little carbohydrates, which is a bonus for anyone who might have diabetes.
Registered Dietitian Cecelia Moore says:
Fruit: Blueberries
–Blueberries have are one of the fruits that have been shown to have the highest levels of antioxidants, which help protect our cells from diseases associated with aging and cancer.
–Blueberries have fiber, and Americans don’t get enough fiber in their diets, and fiber can lower cholesterol levels.
–Blueberries have vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin K.
–Blueberries are low in fat and low in sodium
Vegetable: Spinach
–Spinach is a good source of vitamin c, vitamin k, folic acid and iron.
–Spinach has fiber, which can make you feel satisfied longer, which is good for weight control.
–Spinach has magnesium and phosphorous.
–Spinach is low in calories
Grain-rich food: Whole wheat pasta
–Whole wheat pastas have more fiber, vitamins and minerals than enriched pastas.
–Whole wheat pastas have fiber, which aids in digestive health, reduces the chance of coronary heart dsease by lowering cholestrerol and helps you feel full with less, which can help with weight management (along with exercise).
Registered Dietitian Christie Hust says:
Fruit: Blueberries
–Blueberries are an excellent source of vitmain c
–Blueberries have fiber.
–Blueberries are low in calories-one cup is only 80 calories.
–Blueberries have a lot of antioxidants which fight a lot of diseases like, cancer, heart disease and also keep eyes healthy.
Vegetable: Dark leafy greens (such as collard greens, mustard greens, spinach or arugala)
–Dark leafy greens have a lot of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin k, vitamin c, vitmain e and a lot of the b vitmains, which give you energy and help the body repair itself.
–Dark leafy greens have very little carbohydrates, which is a bonus for anyone who might have diabetes.
Grain-richfood: Oatmeal
–Oatmeal has fiber which can lower risk of heart disease and can lower cholesterol, but it can also keep you full longer so you’re not starving at 10 a.m.
–Oatmeal can lower the risk of some cancers.
–Oatmeal can lower blood sugar.
It’s not often you hear you should actually eat more, but some foods are so good for you that you really should eat more of them (and less of the junk, of course).
We asked what one fruit, one vegetable and one grain-rich food people should eat more of to improve their health to Nora Limas and Cecilia Moore — two registered dietitians for the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center pediatrics department — and Christie Hust, a registered dietitian and diabetes educator at the Combest Wellness Center.
Here’s what they said:
Healthy recipes that include some of these fruits and veggies
BLACK AND BLUE BERRY SMOOTHIE
Recipe summary:
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Number of servings: 4
Cups of fruits and vegetables per person: 1
Ingredients
2 cups blueberries
2 cups blackberries
1 cup fat free plain yogurt
1 cup fat free milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups ice
Directions:
Place all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Fruits and Veggies Matter recipe database:
CHICKEN AND FRUIT SALAD
Recipe Summary:
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Number of servings: 4
Cups of fruits and vegetables per person: 2
Ingredients:
1 lb. roasted chicken breast
1 medium-sized bunch spinach
2 medium-sized pink or white grapefruit
2 medium-sized red delicious apples
3/4 lb. seedless green grapes
1/3 cup fat-free Dijon salad dressing
Directions:
Remove and discard skin from chicken; tear chicken into bite-sized pieces. Chop 1 cup loosely packed spinach leaves; set remaining leaves aside. Cut peel from grapefruit; remove sections with knife. Cut unpeeled apples into 3/4-inch chunks. In large bowl, combine chicken, chopped spinach, fruit and salad dressing; toss to coat. To serve, arrange remaining spinach leaves on platter; spoon chicken salad over spinach leaves.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Fruits and Veggies Matter recipe database:
For nutrition information for these recipes and for more healthy recipes including fruits and vegetables, go to .
Healthy Living Eat (or drink) less of these
–Fried foods: These are high in cholesterol and saturated fat, which makes it bad for your heart. Try to boil, bake or grill instead.
–Fruit juices: These are high in calories and can really hinder our efforts in controlling weight.
–Sodas: They’re high in calories and low in nutrients, and when you replace a child’s milk with soda, the child gets less calcium, which leads to low bone density. Sodas — even diet sodas — have phosphoric acid, which pulls calcium out of the bones and can lead to osteoporosis.
Sources: Nora Limas, Cecilia Moore and Christie Hust
Date: Feb 25, 2008
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