Without fruits and vegetables, the food world would look pretty bland — meats and poultry in browns and tans, amber waves of grain, and white dairy products. The vivid hues of grassy-green broccoli, bright-orange carrots, a blushing apricot or crimson tomato perk up both the palette and the palate.
The pigments that give fruits and vegetables their good looks also happen to help make them good for you.
For instance, bright orange and yellow foods, such as carrots, mangoes and squash, contain a phytochemical (FIGHT-o-chemical) called beta-carotene, which has garnered a lot of attention in the past 10 or 15 years as an antioxidant. In the body, antioxidants protect the body's cells from damage by unstable oxygen molecules.
Red fruits, such as tomatoes, watermelon and pink grapefruit, contain lycopene, which research has shown to reduce the risk of several types of cancer, especially prostate cancer. Another family of antioxidants, anthocyanins, give the scarlet hue to strawberries and cherries and a purple-ish cast to grapes and blueberries. A Tufts University study linked a diet rich in blueberries with improved short-term memory.
Green vegetables like broccoli, Swiss chard and spinach are colored by chlorophyll, which also indicates the beta-carotene and vitamin C content. In general, the greener the fruit or vegetable, the richer it is in both beta-carotene and vitamin C, according to "The Nutrition Bible," by Jean Anderson and Barbara Deskins.
Some green vegetables contain lutein, which works with another chemical, zeaxanthin (found in corn, red peppers, oranges, grapes and egg yolks) to help keep eyes healthy.
Even the cell structure that gives plants their shape has a healthful purpose. Often called roughage, this insoluble fiber helps food pass through the digestive tract smoothly and may help prevent colon cancer. Many vegetables and skins of fruits are high in insoluble fiber.
Soluble fiber, also found in some fruits and vegetables, has a gel-like consistency. It binds to fatty acids in the digestive tract and promotes their removal. Soluble fiber helps to lower LDL — or "bad" — cholesterol levels.
As a bonus, fruits and veggies are low in fat and calories. Consider that a handful of red radishes is 4 calories; a cup of sliced raw mushrooms is 18 calories.
If you had to take all these in pill form, it would be a daunting task to figure out how much of each phytochemical your body needs. But nature has packaged all of them in the optimum amounts — and in combinations for the body to best use them — in fruits and vegetables.
"Phytochemicals work together with the vitamins, minerals, fiber and other components that are already in the food, and they work in ways that supplements can't duplicate or compete with," said Rachel Cox, a dietitian for the Utah Department of Health.
Because each color of produce gives different benefits, it's a good idea to get a variety of colors in your diet, she added.
The latest U.S. Dietary Guidelines, released in January, recommend two cups of fruit and 2 1/2 cups of vegetables per day. The mantra of "five a day" refers to five servings, with one serving equal to 1/2 cup of cooked vegetables or fruit; 3/4 cup of 100 percent juice; or one cup of salad. So the new guidelines reflect a bit of an increase.
"A good rule of thumb for meals is that half of your plate should be fruits and vegetables," said Cox. "People don't like to measure servings or do a lot of calorie counting. But if they just take a visual assessment, they can see if they're getting enough. If they're not, they can use them as a snack."
Currently only one person out of three or four is getting the recommended servings, Cox said. People who are older — those in their 50s and 60s who are starting to be more concerned about aging — tend to eat more than those of college age.
"People say it's expensive to buy fresh produce and that it often goes to waste, but there are so many other things people can do. If they use frozen or canned vegetables, it's better than none at all," Cox said.
WARMED MIXED GREENS
2 cups collard greens
2 cups Swiss chard
4 cups spinach
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 teaspoons ground cumin
Juice of 1 lemon ( 1/4 cup)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Wash all the greens. Place the collards in a large steamer over boiling water. Steam 2 minutes, add the Swiss chard and steam 2 minutes more. Add the spinach and steam 4 minutes longer. Turn out into a sieve when tender and squeeze out the excess liquid with the back of a wooden spoon. Chop roughly. Combine the olive oil, garlic, parsley, cilantro, cumin and lemon juice in a large skillet and warm. Add the chopped greens and salt, and mix thoroughly. Serve immediately while the greens are still bright. Serves 4. — Produce for Better Health Foundation
WILD MUSHROOM SAUCE
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 medium shallots, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 1/2 pounds crimini, oak and/or shiitake mushrooms
2 small carrots, diced
3-4 sprigs parsley
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 bay leaf
1 clove
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons canned tomato puree
5 cups vegetable or beef broth
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Heat olive oil and saute shallots and celery 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute, stirring frequently, until lightly browned. Stir in carrots, parsley, thyme, tarragon, bay leaf, clove and black pepper. Cook, stirring, 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat; discard bay leaf and stir in flour and tomato puree. Place saucepan in oven and bake 15-20 minutes, or until mushroom mixture is browned and caramelized. Remove pan from oven; deglaze by adding broth and scraping the pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. Simmer until reduced to about 2 cups. For a smooth sauce, strain mixture through a sieve. — Adapted from "The Golden Door Cooks Light & Easy"
ROASTED CHICKEN & RADISH MEDLEY
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half crosswise
8 ounces small new potatoes, quartered (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 large green and yellow bell peppers, cut into chunks (about 2 cups)
1 1/2 cups radishes, halved
1 large zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut in 1-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
12 cloves garlic, peeled
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In large bowl, mix olive oil, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Add chicken, potatoes, peppers, radishes, zucchini and garlic, toss until well-coated. Place in a large shallow roasting pan, arranging the chicken on one side and the vegetables on the other. Roast until chicken and vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes, turning every 10 minutes. — The Radish Council
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