Fruit and Vegetable Diet

Color matters - eat more dark green and orange veggies

This article will look at the veggie aspect of a colorful fruit and vegetable diet. We'll take a look at the fruit nutrition facts separately.

Did you know... that only about one quarter of adults in the U.S. eat three or more servings of vegetables a day? That's according to a recent Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report. This is far short of the national objective that at least half of Americans reach this benchmark by 2010. However, it’s not just eating more that matters: fried potatoes (like French fries and chips) are the biggest single source of those vegetables. How frightening is that?

Fewer than 15 percent of adults meet recommended targets for dark green and orange vegetables according to the CDC researchers. To obtain the nutritional benefits that can come with eating more vegetables we need to expand the variety of our choices. So don't think that you can accomplish the goal by eating another helping of fries or more chips! Get some color in your diet - go green...and orange.

Why are dark green and orange veggies important? Dark green vegetables are a significant source of potassium and magnesium. These minerals have been linked with healthy blood pressure and blood sugar.

Deep orange vegetables, such as carrots, winter squash and sweet potatoes, have a lot of beta-carotene and are often high in potassium, too.

Romaine lettuce, and even darker green leafy vegetables – spinach, Swiss chard, kale, collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens – offer not only beta-carotene, but other carotenoid cousins called lutein and zeaxanthin. Lutein may help slow the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), an age-related cause of blindness.

According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin all are powerful antioxidants that seem to play a role in blocking early stages in the development of cancer.

Dark greens also can supply a significant amount of folate. Folate is a B vitamin that promotes heart health, helps prevent certain birth defects and is also necessary for DNA production and repair. Without that repair, damaged cells can develop into cancer. Watercress, arugula, bok choy, broccoli and kale are dark green vegetables that provide additional cancer-fighting compounds.

Orange vegetables are easy to include in stir-fries and stews and are delicious simply oven-roasted with a drizzle of olive oil and perhaps some herbs.

Dark green vegetables with small tender leaves add zip to salads or sandwiches. Instead of putting iceberg lettuce on your next sandwich, why not use baby spinach instead. You can quickly stir-fry medium to mild-flavored greens in a bit of olive oil with garlic or sweet onion, though some like to add two to four tablespoons of broth at the end and cook just a few minutes to tame the somewhat bitter flavor. Some chefs even suggest blanching stronger-flavored greens (such as turnip and mustard) for a minute or less in some boiling water before sautéing them. Dark green vegetables taste great served with a cruet of red wine vinegar or lemon juice-olive oil dressing on the side.

The specific goals being recommended range from two to three cups of dark green vegetables and one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half cups of orange vegetables per week. That really isn't too much to ask - in a week - to help keep yourself healthy, is it?

Why not set some goals in the coming year to put more color in your diet!

One great way to help is with some delicious fruit smoothies and vegetable smoothies! Click here to learn how fruits and vegetable smoothies can boost the absorption rate of nutrients in your system.