H ealthy Table
Welcome to the Season of Colorful Eats!
By Dianne Killebrew, MEd, RD, LDN
Springtime at the local farmers' markets-the colorful variety of
fruits and vegetables creates a feast for the eyes and a love affair
with your heart. Over the past 30 years or so, researchers have
developed a solid base of science to back up what generations of
mothers preached-eat your fruits and vegetables. Early on, fruits and
vegetables were acclaimed as cancer-fighting foods. There is
compelling evidence that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables not only
lowers the risk of heart disease and stroke, but also plays an
important role in maintaining a healthy weight.
Springtime at the local farmers' markets
Across the nation, March is recognized annually as National Nutrition
Month by the American Dietetic Association. This nutrition education
and information campaign focuses on the importance of making informed
food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity
habits. This year's theme, Eat Right with Color, gives us the nudge to
choose more vegetables and fruits-green, yellow, orange, blue, purple,
and red.
What does choose more mean? According to the Center for Disease
Control's Risk Factor Surveillance System, the average American gets a
total of three servings of fruits and vegetables a day. That's not
enough!
The United States Department of Agriculture's latest dietary
guidelines recommend at least four servings of fruit (2 cups) and five
servings of vegetables (2 ½ cups) per day for a baseline intake of
2,000 calories. Check out the online calculator to determine your
recommended servings. Click on the
question How many fruits and vegetables do you need? and fill in your
age, gender, and activity level.
Getting more fruits and vegetables is easier than you think. What many
don't realize is how many servings they are already getting, and how
many more they can fit into their daily routines quiet easily. Fresh,
frozen, canned, dried, and juiced fruits and vegetables all count
toward your daily servings.
Use these general guidelines for ONE serving size:
- ½ cup of fruit
- 1 medium piece of fruit
- ¼ cup of dried fruit
- ¾ cup of vegetable juice
- 1 cup of leafy vegetables
- ½ cup of cooked or raw vegetables
Locally grown fruits and vegetables just taste better! Full of flavor
and packed with vitamins, you'll find some of these farm fresh
selections available at spring markets: arugula, lettuce, beets,
basil, blueberries, broccoli, cabbage, collard greens, carrots, kale,
fennel, radishes, berries, and squash.
Enjoy this collection of
recipes for your Healthy Table, provided by Whole Foods Chef Merijoy
Lantz Rucker and Crystal Van Meter and Stacy Rahat from The Dietetic
Internship Program at Vanderbilt.
Salad Spears
Ingredients:
4 hearts of romaine leaves
½ cup hummus
½ cup raw beets (shredded)
½ cup carrots (shredded)
½ cup radishes (shredded)
½ cup romaine (shredded)
½ teaspoon pepper
Directions:
Place hearts of romaine leaves on serving plate.
Spread 2 tablespoons of hummus on the bottom of each spear.
Set aside.
In a medium bowl combine remaining ingredients. Mix well.
Spoon mixture into spears. Serve chilled.
Nutrition Information per serving:
Yields: 4 servings
Serving Size: 1 salad spear
Calories: 75
Fat: 3 grams
Carbohydrates: 10 grams
Protein: 2 grams
Sodium: 107 milligrams
Dietary Fiber: 3 grams
Nutrition Fast Fact: Beets: This vegetable contains no saturated fat or cholesterol. It is
a good source of iron, magnesium, vitamin C, potassium, and
fiber. Beets are full of antioxidants which protect cells in our body.
A Springy Delight
Ingredients
3 cups spring lettuce mix
½ cup strawberries (sliced)
4 ounces skinless chicken breast (grilled or broiled)
½ ounce sunflower seeds
1 ounce reduced fat feta cheese
2 tablespoons light raspberry vinaigrette
Directions:
Prepare chicken breast as desired.
Combine remaining ingredients in serving bowl. Mix well.
Top with grilled or broiled chicken.
Nutrition Information per serving:
Yields 1 serving
Serving Size: 1
Calories: 332
Total Fat: 14 grams
Carbohydrates: 14 grams
Protein: 39 grams
Sodium: 1090 milligrams
Dietary Fiber: 4 grams
Nutrition Fast Fact: Incorporating a variety of dark leafy greens in
your daily diet packs a big nutrient-rich punch to your meals. Greens
are low in calories, high in fiber, and chunked full of vitamins and
minerals. Enjoy!
Orzo with Kale & Chickpeas
Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic (diced)
1 bundle kale
1 can chickpeas (drained & rinsed)
½ lemon, squeezed
Parmesan cheese to taste
pinch of salt & pepper
Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Follow directions on box to cook orzo.
When done, drain orzo pasta and set aside.
Heat olive oil in skillet on medium heat.
Chop garlic and kale, add to skillet.
Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
Remove cover, add chickpeas and continue cooking for 10 minutes or until kale is tender and chickpeas are warmed.
Stir kale mixture in with orzo.
Add lemon juice, salt and pepper. Garnish with Parmesan.
Nutrition Information per serving:
Yield: 4 servings
Serving Size: 1 ½ cup
Calories: 456
Total Fat: 14 grams
Carbohydrate: 68 grams
Protein: 18 grams
Sodium: 500 milligrams
Dietary Fiber: 10 grams
Nutrition Fast Fact : Kale is a dark leafy vegetable that is dubbed a
superfood. With a reputation like that, it must have healing powers,
right? It does have healing powers, but not in the way you think. Kale
is high in cancer fighting phytochemicals and antioxidants. It's also
rich with vitamins and minerals.
Berry Frozen Yogurt
Ingredients:
2 cups fresh berries
½ cup fat free vanilla yogurt
2 tablespoons sugar
8 large ice cubes
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a food processor.
Process until pureed.
Enjoy right away or freeze for later.
Nutrition Information per serving:
Yields: 4 servings
Serving size: 2/3 cup
Calories: 110
Total Fat: .9 grams
Carbohydrates: 26 grams
Protein: 2.5 grams
Sodium: 12 milligrams
Dietary Fiber: 8 grams
Nutrition Fast Fact : Berries are high in antioxidants and a good
source of vitamins B and C, folate, niacin, magnesium, and copper.
Nutrition Information per serving:
Yields: 4 servings
Serving size: 2/3 cup
Calories: 110
Total Fat: .9 grams
Carbohydrates: 26 grams
Protein: 2.5 grams
Sodium: 12 milligrams
Dietary Fiber: 8 grams
Nutrition Savvy Fast Fact : Raspberries have a red pigment color and
are high in antioxidants. This berry is a good source of vitamins B
and C, folate, niacin, magnesium and copper. Raspberries make a great
healthy snack, a topping for salads or your favorite cereal!
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