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Not Everyone Shuns Fruits and Vegetables

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Not Everyone Shuns Fruits and Vegetables

FRIDAY, Nov. 18 (HealthDay News) — The difficulty June Stewarthad working vegetables into her day-to-day meals didn’t stem from any aversion to them.

“I love salad and I love broccoli and stuff like that,” said Stewart, 67, a Baltimore resident who said her love of vegetables stemmed from her childhood. “We’ve always eaten a three-course meal — we were brought up that way — so we always ate vegetables.”

But over the past 23 years, Stewart said, she found it very difficult to work veggies into her daily diet. She worked as a bus driver for the Maryland Transit Administration, and the on-the-run hours of her job required her to eat whatever was handy, rather than whatever was good for her.

“When I was working, I couldn’t work it in that good,” said Stewart, who retired in February. “When you’re a bus driver, you just eat a lot of snacks because you’re running from one bus to the next. I only got vegetables at dinnertime, very seldom any other time, because I’d grab a sandwich or a hot dog or a donut or something.”

Vegetables took on a new importance in Stewart’s life earlier this year, however, when her doctor diagnosed her as diabetic.

“I was told if I don’t keep right on point, I’ll end up taking pills or insulin or whatever,” she said. “Once you learn about it, you have to be careful.”

Stewart said she discovered a happy coincidence while taking a class on proper nutrition for diabetics: The vegetables she loved so much as a child were exactly the type of food she needed to eat to help keep her blood sugar in check.

Now she regularly hits the supermarket and farmer’s market to buy collard greens, kale, string beans, broccoli, beets and salad fixings. “I don’t like canned vegetables,” she said. “I always cook fresh.”

In addition, Stewart walks every day because exercise also helps regulate blood sugar. “I like diet and exercise, and it’s a good thing,” she said. “I really have to do everything, or I’ll end up in bad shape.”

Nonetheless, Stewart considers herself fortunate, in a way. She didn’t have to overcome any big aversion to fruits and vegetables to get herself eating better. She just had to make the time to buy and cook them.

“A lot of people just don’t like vegetables,” she said. “What saved me was we had vegetables in all our meals growing up.”

For Nutritional Punch, You Can’t Beat Plant-Based Foods. Still, 90 percent of Americans eat too few fruits and veggies, health experts say

By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Nov. 18 (HealthDay News) — Those in the know consider fruits and vegetables among the healthiest foods around.

U.S. government health experts now encourage Americans to fill half their plates with fruits and vegetables. Weight Watchers’ new system assigns no points to nearly all fruits and vegetables, making them a truly “guilt-free” option.

But, really, what’s the big deal? Why is it so important to eat more veggies?

Nutritionists can rattle off a long list of reasons when asked that question. Vegetables and fruits are dense in nutrients but light on calories. They contain rich amounts of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. Eating more veggies and fruits has been linked to decreased risk for such health problems as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and cancer.

Despite this, many people seem to have a hard time eating vegetables, something that’s developed the reputation of being a chore rather than a pleasure. President Barack Obama even likened the need to finish difficult debt ceiling negotiations to the need to “eat our peas.”

More than nine of 10 Americans consume fewer fruits and vegetables than the daily amount recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s dietary guidelines, which ranges from 2 cups to 6½ cups, according to the “Fruits and Veggies — More Matters” health initiative, a national program aimed at increasing consumption of plant-based foods.

“I would say many of my current clients get maybe a cup of vegetables and maybe a fruit throughout the day, if I’m being generous,” said Jessica Crandall, a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator in Denver and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

Getting a serving of vegetables or fruit is not difficult because a single serving is not a large amount, said Angela Ginn, a nutrition education coordinator and diabetes educator at the University of Maryland Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology at Maryland General Hospital, who’s also a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.
“A whole cup raw or a half-cup cooked is considered a serving for vegetables,” Ginn said.
But there’s a lot of nutritional power packed into that cup or half-cup. Though the precise benefit varies by type of fruit or vegetable, it could include a significant amount of:

• Calcium, which promotes healthy bones and teeth, and is needed for proper functioning of muscles and nerves.
• Folate, which reduces a woman’s chances of having a child with a birth defect.
• Iron, which is necessary for healthy blood and cell function.
• Magnesium, which prevents muscle cramping and high blood pressure and is needed for healthy bones and proper enzymatic function.
• Potassium, which helps maintain healthy blood pressure.
• Vitamin A, which keeps eyes and skin healthy and helps protect the body against infection.
• Vitamin C, which aids in healing cuts or wounds and helps keep teeth and gums healthy.

Even the micronutrients that give fruits and vegetables their color are important sources of antioxidants, which have been shown to help prevent an array of diseases.
“Your phytonutrients that have all those vibrant colors, those are things that fight against chronic diseases,” Ginn said. “You find them in your fruits and vegetables more in abundance than you will in whole grains or in meat or dairy products.”

According to Crandall:

• Blue and purple fruits and vegetables contain anthocyanins, which have been shown to help fight some cancers and are helpful in anti-aging and memory function. They are found in blueberries, blackberries, plums, grapes, figs and raisins.
• Green fruits and vegetables contain luteins, which lower cancer risk and help promote better vision and strong bones and teeth. They are found in avocados, kiwi fruit, pears and apples.
• Red fruits and vegetables contain anthocyanins and lycopene, which can help keep the heart healthy, maintain better memory function and lower the risk for some cancers.

Fruits and vegetables also contain a large amount of fiber. Fiber has a number of health benefits and also helps make people feel more full, reducing their consumption of other higher-calorie foods, Crandall said.

“Most people think fiber is just good for digestion,” she said, “but it’s also helpful for lowering cholesterol, keeping your blood sugars stable and helping you feel full throughout your day.”  But even those who are already sold on eating more fruits and veggies sometimes find it tricky to work sufficient amounts into their day-to-day eating, say both Crandall and Ginn.

They suggest getting creative.

For instance, work veggies into recipes that don’t normally contain them. “It’s just the little things you can do, even if you add grated carrot to your favorite muffin or grated zucchini to your pancakes,” Ginn said. “You can sneak them into your food in ways where you don’t even taste them, but you receive the nutritional benefit.”
They also suggest cutting up fruits and veggies so they’re bite-sized and available for snacking. As Crandall said, “Make a vegetable tray so they are easier to use, so you don’t have a cucumber rotting in the back of the fridge.”
And don’t worry about whether you’re eating fresh, frozen or canned vegetables. They’re all good for you. Fresh or frozen vegetables might have slightly more nutrients, Ginn and Crandall said, but canned veggies are cheaper and available throughout the year. Just be sure to rinse canned veggies, to reduce the amount of sodium they contain, or buy low-sodium alternatives.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on working fruits and vegetables into your diet, including interactive tools, tips and recipes.
For ideas on how to solve the dilemma of consuming enough vegetables, read aboutone woman’s story.
SOURCES: Jessica Crandall, R.D., C.D.E., Denver; Angela Ginn, R.D., L.D.N., C.D.E., education coordinator/nutrition diabetes educator, University of Maryland Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology, Maryland General Hospital, Baltimore
Last Updated: Nov. 18, 2011
Copyright © 2011 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

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Produce Powerhouses: Fruit and Vegetables that Pack a Nutritional Punch

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Produce Powerhouses: Fruit and Vegetables that Pack a Nutritional Punch

Everyone knows that consuming fresh fruit and vegetables can help us lead long and healthy lives. But most people don’t know that, when it comes to nutrition, all produce isn’t created equal. Indeed, some fruit and vegetables are much more nutritionally dense than others. Given that we tend not to eat all of the fruit and veggies that we should, it’s important to make sure that those we choose pack the biggest nutritional bang possible. Here are some that always come out on top:

Vitamin A: When it comes to Vitamin A, which plays a critical role in many of the body’s functions, including vision, bone growth, and the immune system, for vegetables, carrots always win the race. A half-cup of carrot juice provides 450% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of Vitamin A; one raw carrot will give you 175% of the RDA. Spinach, kale, cantaloupe, pumpkin, and apricots come in a respectable, though distant, second. There’s only one food that beats out carrots: beef liver. Really, which would you rather have?

Vitamin B6: To a large extent, Americans get most of their B vitamins from fortified cereals, not from fresh vegetables. The Vitamin B group is critical to many cell functions, and is instrumental in, for example, carrying oxygen to tissues. Good sources of Vitamin B6 include potatoes (35% RDA) and bananas (34% RDA). Folate, another B vitamin, can be found in vegetables such as spinach, asparagus, mustard greens, green peas, and broccoli.

Vitamin E: Vitamin E is known for its antioxidant properties and protects cells from the effects of free radicals. Spinach and other leafy green vegetables, broccoli, kiwifruit, and mango are all good sources of Vitamin E.

Iron: This abundant metal is critical in delivering oxygen to tissues, as well as in cell growth. Legumes (like beans and lentils) are great sources of iron, as is spinach. Popeye needed to keep the blood flowing to his muscles, right?

Magnesium: About half of the body’s magnesium is in the bones, but the other half helps keeps organs functioning smoothly, the metabolism humming along, and tissues healthy. When it comes to fresh produce and magnesium, the greener the better. That’s because the molecules that give green vegetables their colour contain magnesium. However, bananas, potatoes, and avocados also contain magnesium.

Vitamin C: Vitamin C is crucial for a healthy metabolism and is has wonderful antioxidant properties. Although we often association the vitamin with citrus fruits like oranges, there are many other fresh fruit and vegetables that have higher concentrations of Vitamin C. Guava, red peppers, and blackberries are wonderful sources of Vitamin C, as are broccoli and kiwifruit.

It’s important to keep in mind that, if you want to get the most vitamins and minerals from your produce, you should eat it raw. Cooking vegetables drastically reduces their nutritional content, so if you must cook them, try stir-frying or steaming. Likewise, because many nutrients sit close to the skins of vegetables, try to avoid peeling them. Instead, give them a quick scrub with a veggie brush and some water, and eat the skins and all.

Grow your own fruit & vegetables with Bill & Sheila

Packing House Operations for Fruits and Vegetables

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Packing House Operations for Fruits and Vegetables

Packing houses serve as a collection centre for fruits and vegetables prior to distribution and marketing. The houses can be simple packing sheds with a limited equipment and minimal operations or a large complex that is well equipped and with facilities for specialized operations.

The types of operation carried out vary with different commodities and market requirements. Produce that are destined for export or supermarket outlets are often subjected to elaborate operations compared to local markets. Some of the operations are as follows:

Sorting and Trimming

Freshly harvested fruits and vegetables are sorted for uniformity in size, shape and varietal characteristics. Damaged, discoloured and decayed parts are removed to make the produce more attractive and prevent infection from the diseased parts.

Washing

Washing is necessary to remove extraneous materials from the field such as dirts, chemicals and latex. This is usually done before storage or immediate retailing of the produce. In order to r educe the incident of decay, chlorine is often added to the wash water.

Drying

Drying is done to remove excessive moisture from the surface of the produce. Excessive drying should be avoided to prevent wilting, shrinking and water loss.

Waxing

Waxing is done on certain types of fruits and vegetables such as ginger, tomato, citrus and melons to reduce water loss, thereby reducing shriveling. In addition to that, the application of edible wax will enhance the appearance of the produce.

Curing

Injured and bruised surfaces of root, rhizome and tuberous crops are allowed to heal by holding them at ambient temperatures for a few days. Curing initiates the formation of periderm layers at wound areas, thereby reducing moisture loss and microbial infection. Sufficiently cured vegetables can be stored for a longer period.

Chemical Treatments

Fungicides and growth regulators are commonly used to reduce decay and undesirable growth respectively. The use of chemicals should be closely supervised and within the recommended levels for human consumption.

Grading

Fresh fruits and vegetables are classified into groups according to a set of recognized criteria of quality and size, with each bearing an accepted name and size grouping.

Packaging

Produce are packed in suitable containers to provide protection against mechanical and biological damages during transportation and subsequent handling operations. Packaging materials should be of accepted standards with regard to strength, ruggedness and resistance to pressure. Packages should have adequate ventilation so that produce will not warm up as a result of heat arising from respiration. Excessive ventilation, however, may result in wilting.

Pre-cooling

Pre-cooling is an essential step prior to storage at low temperatures. It is the rapid removal of field heat from the produce to reduce the rate of respiration, microbial activity and refrigeration load. Pre-cooling can be done with chilled water, ice or cool air (forced air cooling), whereby the produce is cooled to the half cooling temperature.

Storage

Storage at low temperatures has been an effective mean of extending the shelf-life of fresh fruits and vegetables. It also enables orderly marketing and distribution of produce in time of peak production. Temperature requirements for different produce may vary depending on variety, location, stage of maturity and other factors. It is important to note that cool storage is a tool used to maintain quality but not to improve it.

Transportation

Proper handling of the produce during transportation is essential to reduce losses to a minimum and to maintain their quality from the farm to the packing house and from packing house to market. The used of refrigerated trucks to transport highly perishable and high value produce will maintain their quality over an extended duration. In non-ventilated vans, temperature of the fruits or vegetables rises quickly, increasing respiration and decay.

Beat the Credit Crunch - Grow your own Fruit and Veg and become self-sufficient

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Beat the Credit Crunch – Grow your own Fruit and Veg and become self-sufficient

Living on a budget is a problem affecting many families these days, not just in the UK, but all over the world. Food prices are rising while income is falling. Taxation is rising as countries – especially in the euro zone – try to balance their budgets and extract more and more cash from the people so that governments can balance their books. This is evident in the recent fiscal changes imposed by governments in the UK, Greece, Germany, Spain, Ireland, France and Portugal.

We have already discussed some of things we can do to help make savings on our food budget in a previous article -’Cooking on a budget’. In this article, we will look at how we can grow our own fruit and vegetables for the table and supply longer-term products through freezing and converting fresh fruit to preserves, such as jam, chutney and relishes. All these little ‘luxury items’ cost money. If we can make them ourselves, so much the better.

When we retired to Spain in 2003, we had all kinds of plans to become self sufficient in fruit and vegetables. It did not quite work out that way however as the soil was impoverished and the irrigation was non-existent. We have fruit trees all around us and grow oranges, tangerines, clementines, pears, figs, grapes, olives, lemons, meddlers, apples and quince. This gives us a long period of preparing jams, marmalades and chutney because the fruits mature at different times.

We found all the vegetables we tried to grow would either bolt or wither because of the immense heat during the summer growing periods. We could grow lettuce but had to use them very young because they tended to run to seed very quickly. No problem with that however, as young fresh lettuce leaves go great in any salad dish. Then we found out that if we planted in large plastic buckets we could move the plants around and place them under the trees for protection when it got too hot. The plastic bucket we use is actually a fruit picker’s basket made of strong flexible plastic about two feet across at the top and about two feet deep.

We found them ideal for growing all types of vegetables from potatoes to spring onions. Just one small hole in the base to prevent the soil from becoming waterlogged is all that is necessary. We pay about 2 euro’s for these containers – a fraction of the cost of plant pots. A brisk walk around the site with a 2 gallon watering can every morning supplies all the water that the plants need. You could use any type of container to grow your vegetables, from old boots to paint cans (just make sure that the paint is cleaned out and is non-toxic). Grow bags are excellent for tomatoes and runner beans, while hanging baskets and window boxes a great for herbs and even training tomatoes. Using these techniques, you can easily turn your backyard into a mini allotment producing all kinds of fruit and vegetables.

You can also take the ‘organic’ route by growing your vegetables this way. There are plenty of concentrated organic based fertilizers available that will help your plants thrive. A capful or two of the concentrate in a watering can once a week can do wonders to the size and taste of your crop. Depending on the space available to you, these are just some of the plants that you can grow on a back yard:

Tomatoes – There are plenty of outdoor variants available now that don’t need a green house to produce plenty of good sized, good flavoured fruits.. All you need is a large pot to plant your seed and provide a tall cane for the plant to climb. A tomato is a vine don’t forget, so it needs something to cling to. Give it plenty of water and a bit of organic fertilizer once the flowers appear and you are on your way. You can even wrap it with a sheet of polythene to create a greenhouse effect. It will love you for that and give you a better crop. Nip out the top of the plant at about six feet and also nip out the little side shoots that will appear at the joints of the branches. This will force all of the nourishment into the fruits rather than growing new side shoots. You can start your new plants off indoors in February and plant them out once there is no chance of frost. There are also training varieties that you can put in hanging baskets. When in fruit they look good as well as taste good.

Potatoes – are the next good croppers for you to grow. We found that after a week or so, the bottom of a bag of potatoes contained at least half a dozen tubers that were starting to go to seed. Little green shoots appear with tiny furry roots probing out looking for water. This is exactly what you want and should not throw them away. Collect them and every two weeks set a new bucket away containing the seed potatoes. Put about an inch of peat or loamy soil in the bottom of the container.
If you live in a rural area, you will have a goldmine of organic fertilizer available to you – need I say more! A covering of this valuable organic fertilizer -either cows or horses – will ensure that the seed potato has plenty of food to get it going. Cover the ‘fertilizer’ with another inch of peat or loam. Water well and set aside for a few weeks. Once the green shoots start to poke their way out of the soil, apply another couple of inches of soil. The new potatoes grow from nodes off the main stem, so the longer you force the stem to grow, the more potatoes you well get. It takes about 4 months from seeding to cropping. Depending on the space available to you, if you plant a new container every two weeks, after your four-month initial period, you will have a weekly supply of potatoes absolutely free of charge.

Onions are another good choice for container growing. Standard onions, spring onions, Paris onions, chives and shallots are all good choices for container growing. Onions need plenty of water and a regular supply to prevent them from bolting. All of the onions can be sown quite thickly and as they grow, thin them out and use the thinning’s in salads, soups and seasonings. You will be surprised at how quick onions grow.

Carrots – are the next to look closely at. There are dozens of varieties available. If you have a deep container filled with soft peat with no stones in it, then the long varieties will produce a beautiful thick fully formed carrot about six inches long. It is the stones in soil that cause the deformities in carrots that make it look like a two legged creature. Soft, stone-less soil is the answer to long smooth exhibition quality carrots. You can also obtain short stubby carrots, which are ideal for container growing and are full of flavour. You can grow parsnips this way after the carrots have cropped and let the overwinter for spring cropping. The choice is yours. Stagger planting periods over three to four weeks to give you a continuous supply throughout the summer, One packet of seed will provide you with months of fresh carrots all through the summer and autumn.

Salads – lettuce comes in dozens of varieties and is very quick growing. A couple of packets of mixed lettuce seed will give you fresh salad greens right through the summer period. Three containers are all you need. Start one off in a April, one in May and another in June and you will have fresh salads all summer. Just take the outer leaves from the young plants and the plant will continue to produce new leaves for you. If you can’t get a packet of mixed lettuce, buy about four different varieties and mix all the seed together. That will ensure that each of your containers will produce a few varieties to choose from.

Herbs – are ideally suited for container growing. All the popular varieties are very hardy and will grow almost anywhere. They also make very pretty green plants for display and fragrance. We grow rosemary, sage, parsley, lemon thyme, coriander, mint, lavender, and even ginger in containers. You will not be able to grow ginger in a country like the UK. We had great success this year because we had temperature in the 40′s+ in august. However, all the other herbs are easily grown all over Europe and the USA. Visit our herbs page for more advice on individual herbs

There are many other vegetables that can be grown on the container system, all depending on the space you have available to you. Beetroot, celery, turnips and parsnips can all be grown in containers but they all have different maturity periods and your planting times are more difficult to work out to give you regular supply. But it can be done with patience and practice.