Dinner Tonight

Dinner Tonight

Healthy Cooking for a Healthy Texas

Colors for Nutrition

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Nutrients present themselves as different colors in in fruits and vegetables. Different colors = different nutrients! If you see a lot of the same colors on your plate, consider mixing it up!

Did you know that adding color to your meals will help you live a longer, healthier life? Colorful fruits and vegetables can paint a beautiful picture of health because they contain phytonutrients, compounds that give plants their rich colors as well as their distinctive tastes and aromas. Phytonutrients also strengthen a plant’s immune system. They protect the plant from threats in their natural environment such as disease and excessive sun.

When humans eat plant foods, phytonutrients protect us from chronic diseases. Phytonutrients have potent anti-cancer and anti-heart disease effects. And epidemiological research suggests that food patterns that include fruits and vegetables are associated with a reduced risk of many chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, and may be protective against certain types of cancers.

The American Cancer Society recommends 2 1/2 cups per day of fruits and vegetables. The most recent US Dietary Guidelines recommend consuming even more: 2 1/2 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit, based on a 2,000-calorie diet.

Below is a quick run down of some of the phytonutrients that you’ll find in fruits & veggies of that color:

Red: Rich in the carotenoid lycopene, a potent scavenger of gene-damaging free radicals that seems to protect against prostate cancer as well as heart and lung disease.
Found in: strawberries, cranberries, raspberries, tomatoes, cherries, apples, beets, watermelon, red grapes, red peppers, red onions

Orange and yellow: Provide beta cryptothanxin, which supports intracellular communication and may help prevent heart disease.
Found in: carrots, sweet potatoes, yellow peppers, oranges, bananas, pineapple, tangerines, mango, pumpkin, apricots, winter squash (butternut, acorn), peaches, cantaloupe, corn

Green: These foods are rich in cancer-blocking chemicals like sulforaphane, isothiocyanates, and indoles, which inhibit the action of carcinogens (cancer-causing compounds).
Found in: spinach, avocados, asparagus, artichokes, broccoli, alfalfa sprouts, kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kiwi fruit, collard greens, green tea, green herbs (mint, rosemary, sage, thyme, and basil)

Blue and purple: Have powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins believed to delay cellular aging and help the heart by blocking the formation of blood clots.
Found in: blueberries, blackberries, elderberries, Concord grapes, raisins, eggplant, plums, figs, prunes, lavender, purple cabbage

White and brown: The onion family contains allicin, which has anti-tumor properties. Other foods in this group contain antioxidant flavonoids like quercetin and kaempferol.
Found in: onions, cauliflower, garlic, leeks, parsnips, daikon radish, mushrooms

Source:

Harvard Health Blog – find the original article here. 

Here are some of our most fruit and veggie packed recipes for you to check out!

Fruits:

Vegetables:

 

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Picky Eaters

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Children don’t always want to eat their vegetables. Make up a game at the dinner table to see who can come up with the funniest name for your vegetables! If you have a picky eater who won’t touch a plate with leafy greens or an unfamiliar vegetable, you may be wondering what to do. Try these tips:

  • At the grocery store, let children pick their own fruit or vegetable.
  • For variety, try a different color each week.
  • Fill the shopping basket with a fruit or vegetable from every color in the rainbow.
  • Let them play with their food. Use slices, dices, pieces and whole fruits and vegetables
    to be creative.
  • Make colorful and funny fruit and vegetable faces. Make a game out of it (who can make the funniest face), then eat them together.
  • Make an edible landscape. For example, use a banana slice as the sunshine, broccoli as trees, leafy greens for grass, etc.
  • Give fruits and vegetables a funny name.
  • Let children help prepare fruits and vegetables. They can:
    • Wash fruits and vegetables before cooking or eating
    • Snap the peas or break apart the broccoli
    • Tear the lettuce for salads and sandwiches
    • Measure the vegetables before cooking
    • Peel fruits and vegetables
    • Slice soft vegetables with a plastic knife
  • Read books about fruits and vegetables with your child.
  • Introduce children to gardening to teach them how fruits and vegetables grow.
  • Plant seeds together and watch them grow.
  • Set a good example ― eat and enjoy fruits and vegetables with your child.
  • Have your child eat with another child who loves fruits and vegetables.

Establishing a love for fruits and vegetables while your children are young will help them be healthy now and in the future. A diet high in colorful fruits and vegetables will provide a variety of vitamins, minerals and fiber that children need to grow. Studies show that eating fruits and vegetables can help your child maintain a healthy weight, keep bowels regular, and decrease the chance of diseases like heart disease and cancer. Start now to establish a lifetime of healthy eating habits for your children.

To view the whole PDF from University of Nebraska Extension, click here.

Be Sneaky with your vegetables, how to sneak them into your picky eaters food!

Play a game at Dinner Tonight that will help engage your child with eating vegetables and fruits.  

 

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