As caregivers, you have many choices about what to provide for your families to eat. Think of yourself as the family stoplight. When you are making food choices, you should STOP and then proceed with CAUTION. Think about each food item, and ask the following questions: Is it nutritious or just providing empty calories? Is it worth your food dollar? Would it be best to prepare and serve this food from fresh, frozen, dried, canned or 100% juice forms? What meals and snacks can you prepare with this item? Once you have answered these questions, then you should GO ahead and make your selections.
Fruits and vegetables should be an important part of your family’s diet. There are five color groups of vegetables and fruits — red, yellow/orange, blue/purple, green and white/tan. Did you know that these colors are good for you? Fruits and vegetables contain compounds called phytochemicals that give them their distinctive color, flavor and aroma.
Phytochemicals?
Phytochemicals (such as antioxidants) are chemicals produced naturally by plants to protect themselves, but when consumed in natural form may also help humans protect themselves from disease. Evidence supports that a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains may reduce the risk of certain cancers, type 2 diabetes and is good for the heart. Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains contain the largest amounts of phytochemicals. In addition to being rich in phytochemicals, fruits and vegetables are free of saturated fat — unless you add butter or margarine when cooking them. You may give your family supplement tablets for nutrients, but you cannot obtain phytochemicals from dietary supplements — it is best to eat real food, if possible. Foods high in nutrients have fiber, phytochemicals, and other trace minerals that supplements may not. Because some of their more healthful benefits are removed, highly processed and refined foods are not the best food choices. Refined foods such as sugar and alcohol do not contain phytochemicals.
Recommendations
Most Americans do not eat the recommended daily amounts of fruits and vegetables. What counts as a serving for a fruit or vegetable? MyPyramid food guide recommendations are listed in cups. Examples of one cup are: a small apple, a medium banana, 12 baby carrots, a medium orange, a medium grapefruit, or a large sweet potato.
Adults should eat 2 1/2 cups of vegetables, 2 cups of fruit, and 6 ounces of grains (of which 3 ounces are whole grains) each day. However, specific amounts per person vary depending on age, gender, and level of daily physical activity. For specific recommendations visit http://www.mypyramid.gov/.
Helpful Ideas
How can you get your family members to eat more fruits and vegetables? Encourage people at an early age to try a variety of fruits and vegetables to expose them to many flavors. Make a mental note to check out some of the more unusual fruits and vegetables as you are grocery shopping, and serve them at home. Don’t give up just because your children or grandchildren say they do not like something after tasting it once. Sometimes it takes time to develop a liking for some of the stronger flavored fruits and vegetables.
Keep a colorful “rainbow” of fruits and vegetables washed, handy, and ready to eat so family members may grab them for snacks. Add fruits and vegetables to your main dishes. Soups, cereals, salads, and casseroles are easy places to blend in various fruits and vegetables.
A little creativity will help your children or grandchildren make their dinner plate one to remember. Half a sliced grapefruit can become a face by adding grape halves for eyes, a small pointed carrot for the nose, a red apple slice for the mouth, and peach slices on each side for the ears. Including little ones in preparing multi-colored meals will make them more excited about sampling their food creations. This will also be a great time for conversation — many topics have been discussed while cooking in the kitchen!
Label reading can become a fun family game as your children or grandchildren grow older. Teaching them to look at such things as serving size, calories, and the amounts of Vitamin A, C, B-12, iron, sodium, fat, and sugars will help them think more about what they are eating. Introducing the idea of label reading at an early age encourages children to make this a life-long habit. Make label reading a positive experience for them by always emphasizing the nutritive value of a food versus the calorie level. It is best to encourage being healthy rather than focusing on body size. Healthy people come in different shapes and sizes.
Remember, include a rainbow of colors in your diet. They contain an abundance of nutrients your family needs to be healthy!
If you would like to learn more about nutrition, you may want to visit these learning lessons:
Additional Resources:
- USDA's MyPyramid: http://www.mypyramid.gov/
- Produce for Better Health Foundation — Fruits & Veggies More Matters: http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org
- University of Minnesota Extension: http://www.extension.umn.edu/Health/
Author: DeeAnn Leines is a health and nutrition educator with University of Minnesota Extension.
References:
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005. 6th Edition, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, January 2005.
- Robinson, J. (2003). What Color is Your Food? Taste a rainbow of fruits and vegetables for better health. North Dakota Extension Service. FN-595, Revised and reprinted – February, 2009.
