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The 5 A Day for Better Health
Program
The 5 A Day for Better Health
Program is a large-scale public/private partnership between the fruit
and vegetable industry and the U. S. Government. This national nutrition
program seeks to increase the number of daily servings Americans eat of
fruits and vegetables to five or more. Along with this main goal, the
program works to inform Americans that eating fruits and vegetables can
improve their health and may reduce the risk of cancer and other chronic
diseases. The program provides consumers with easy ways to add more fruits
and vegetables into their daily eating patterns. How many servings of
fruits and vegetables do you eat daily?
Check out this web site for
more recipes on Fruits and Vegetables under Seasonal Packages
http://www.5aday.gov/index-statecoordinator.shtml
Tips for
increasing Fruits and Vegetables into your daily diet:
- A healthful sandwich with
lots of sliced tomatoes and bell peppers, different kinds of lettuce,
sprouts, and sliced cucumbers - add to sliced meat or turkey and one
to two slices of whole grain bread.
- Stuff a pita pocket with
veggie chunks, alfalfa sprouts and light Ranch dressing.
- Soup's on! You can stick
with the basics like tomato or vegetable soup or mix up some minestrone
or veggie chili to cut winter's chill. For a heartier meal, you may
add cooked macaroni noodles to the soup.
- Salads... try a green
salad with lots of chopped veggies. Sweet tooth? Add chopped apples,
raisins, and crunchy sprouts to a green salad or try a carrot-raisin
salad.
- Top off your California-style
pizza with lots of healthful combos of peppers, assorted mushrooms,
spinach, onions, and pineapple. Don't forget to add fresh tomatoes!
- Stir-fry fresh or frozen
vegetables, like squash, peppers, and mushrooms, with lean meat or poultry.
Try adding bean sprouts, miniature corn, and water chestnuts and spice
it up for the Asian flair!
- Add frozen broccoli, green
beans, corn or peas to a casserole. Add a side or two of vegetables
-- try one of new frozen blends. Add lettuce, tomato, onion, sprouts,
cucumber, etc. to sandwiches or hamburgers.
- Try veggie instead of
meat lasagna.
Tips for
Staying in the food budget
- Fruits and vegetables
that are in season are usually the best buy.
- Instead of taking your
kids to a movie or video arcade, visit an open-air farmer's market.
Turn your produce shopping into a family outing!
- Consider buying discounted/ripened
fruit, especially if you are planning to use the fruit in baking or
cooking.
- Consider frozen vegetables
and fruits.
- Stock up on canned vegetables
and fruits when they are on sale, usually at the beginning of a new
season.
- Utilize coupons to increase
your savings!
- Frozen juice concentrate
can be a great way to save on 100% fruit juices
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