Eat the Rainbow for 5 Servings of Fruits & Vegetables
Here’s a fun way to make sure you’re getting the recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables. Just eat the rainbow every day!
Fruits and vegetables come in all colors, not just green. So make an effort to eat something of a different hue, from oranges to red apples. It’ll make shopping in the produce aisle a bit of a game: See how many colors you can pick up.
The American Heart association recommends eight or more fruits and vegetable servings each day. Here are some examples to get you thinking. Fruits and vegetables deliver nutrients like vitamins, fiber, and even hydration to help us consume enough water every day.
Make a rainbow salad. Green spinach, red beets, orange carrots, yellow peppers. That’s an easy start!
Red delicious apples are naturally high in fiber.
Add veggies to your pizza, burgers and sandwiches: red tomatoes, green lettuce, etc.
Berry Berry Yummy – blueberries, strawberries, blackberries.
Try something different, like kiwi or passion fruit.
Remember fruit makes a great dessert – and bananas are perfect after a workout.
More ideas:
Reds and pinks: cherries, pink grapefruit, radicchio, red peppers, red potatoes, rhubarb, watermelon, tomato juice
Orange/yellow: butternut squash, cantaloupe, corn, lemons, mangoes, pineapple, peaches
Green: asparagus, avocados, collard greens, mustard greens, brussels sprouts, cucumbers, green grapes, green onion, kale… the options are endless!
White: cauliflower, mushrooms, onions, potatoes
Blue/purple: eggplant, purple grapes, plums, prunes
Healthy Recipe, Summer Vegetable Spaghetti
This lively vegetarian pasta dish contains no added fat or oil, is low in cholesterol, and is good hot or cold. From the US Department of Health & Human Services.
Ingredients
2 C small yellow onions, peeled and cut into eighths
2 C chopped, peeled, ripe tomatoes (about 1 lb)
2 C thinly sliced yellow and green squash (about 1 lb)
1½ C fresh green beans, trimmed (about ½ lb)
⅔ C water
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp salt
Ground black pepper, to taste
1 can (6 oz) no-salt-added tomato paste
1 lb uncooked spaghetti
½ C grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
Combine first 10 ingredients in a large saucepan; cook for 10 minutes, then stir in the tomato paste. Cover and cook gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender.
Cook spaghetti in unsalted water according to package directions. Drain well.
Serve sauce over spaghetti. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.
Nutrition
279 calories; 3g fat; 1g sat fat; 4mg cholesterol; 173mg sodium
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