Live Healthy Georgia – Seniors Taking Charge! June 2009 Newsletter Stay Healthy with Fruits & Veggies By Lauren Atwell, BSFCS

Summer is one of the best bacteria that lives inside our times of the year to find gut. Water is also vitally yummy fruits and vegetables. important to our health. Our Grocery stores and home bodies are mostly made of gardens are filled with water and need a constant enticing blueberries, supply, since we lose lots of strawberries, tomatoes, water each day through squash, cucumbers, and sweat, urination, and zucchini just waiting to be breathing. Without water, added to your favorite many processes in our bodies summertime recipes. Not could not take place! only are these foods packed with flavor when bought in Fruits and vegetables also season, they are packed with contain several naturally nutrition, too! occurring compounds called phytochemicals, which help Fruits and vegetables are a protect our bodies from very important part of the diseases such as cancer and diet and help keep us healthy heart disease. Phytochemicals in many ways. All fruits and also give fruits and veggies veggies provide vitamins and their color. It is important to minerals, fiber and water – consume a variety of colorful all of which we need each fruits and vegetables each and every day. Vitamins and week, because they all offer minerals help our bodies use protection in different ways. energy and are needed to Some phytochemicals should maintain certain body even be eaten everyday! structures, like bones and Phytochemicals also each proteins. Fiber keeps our have their own unique health intestinal tract healthy by benefits. keeping food moving through our bodies and providing Blue/Purple/Deep Red: nourishment for the helpful These fruits and veggies Department of Foods and Nutrition, The University of Georgia, GA 30602 1 Division of Aging Services, Georgia Department of Human Resources, Atlanta, GA 30303 Live Healthy Georgia – Seniors Taking Charge! contain anthocyanins and immune systems. Eat some proanthocyanins. These each week! phytochemicals protect our bodies from excess oxidative Try: Carrots, sweet stress, inflammation, and potatoes, cantaloupe, tumor formation, all factors mango, oranges, papaya, that can lead to heart disease tangerines, and apricots and cancer if conditions are favorable. Eat some each Yellow/Green: Yellow and week! light green fruits and veggies contain lutein and Try: Blueberries, purple zeaxanthin. Light green grapes, plums, veggies also contain beta- raspberries, dark carotene. Lutein and cherries & eggplant & zeaxanthin may prevent age- blackberries related macular degeneration, which is the leading cause of blindness in older adults. Eat Red: Red fruits and veggies 1 serving each day! contain lycopene, which may help protect against certain Try: Yellow bell cancers, such as breast and peppers, corn, squash, prostate cancers. Eat 1 lemons, artichokes, serving each day! lettuce, wax beans, arugula, kale, spinach, Try: Tomatoes, tomato chard, collards & sauce, cherries, mustard greens strawberries, grapefruit, watermelon, red bell Dark Green: Cruciferous peppers and radishes veggies, often dark green, are associated with reduced risk Orange: Orange fruits and of several types of cancers. veggies contain alpha- and These veggies provide beta-carotene. These indoles and isothiocyanates, compounds reduce oxidative which may help eliminate stress, help our bodies use carcinogens or interfere with vitamin A, and maintain cancer cell signals. Many of healthy eyes, bones and these veggies also contain

Department of Foods and Nutrition, The University of Georgia, GA 30602 2 Division of Aging Services, Georgia Department of Human Resources, Atlanta, GA 30303 Live Healthy Georgia – Seniors Taking Charge! folate, which can protect protective allyl sulfurs to be against colon cancer in those fully released. with no previous history of colon cancer. Eat 3-5 Fruits and vegetables that servings each week! have not yet been mentioned, such as apples, pears, Try: Broccoli, green parsnips, peas, white cabbage, Brussels potatoes, etc. also have sprouts, collards, kale, unique health benefits. kohlrabi, turnips, rutabaga, bok choy, It is recommended that older arugula, wasabi, adults eat 7-9 servings of watercress, fruits and vegetables each horseradish, radish day. Let’s break it down. greens, mustard greens, asparagus, and Fruit: Depending on activity cauliflower level, women should have 2- 3 servings per day, and men White/Light green: White should have 3-4 servings per veggies contain compounds day. called allyl sulfurs. Allyl A serving of fruit equals 1 sulfurs can help prevent cup sliced/diced/mashed cancer growth and promote fruit. The following examples the death of cancer cells. also equal 1 serving of fruit: Some veggies in this 1 small or ½ large apple, 1 category can also help medium pear or grapefruit, 3 prevent heart disease by medium or 2 large plums, 1 reducing total and LDL- large banana, orange or cholesterol levels. Eat some peach, 8 large strawberries, each day with food! and 1 small watermelon wedge. Try: Garlic, onions, scallions, chives and Vegetables: Depending on leeks activity level, women should have 4-5 servings per day, Tip: Crush garlic 30 minutes and men should have 5-6 before heating to allow the servings per day.

Department of Foods and Nutrition, The University of Georgia, GA 30602 3 Division of Aging Services, Georgia Department of Human Resources, Atlanta, GA 30303 Live Healthy Georgia – Seniors Taking Charge! A serving of vegetables Quick Recipe Idea: Roasted equals 1 cup Corn with Basil-Shallot cooked/chopped/mashed Vinaigrette veggies or 2 cups raw veggies. The following  3 cups fresh corn kernels examples also equal 1  2 tablespoons extra- serving of veggies: 1 large virgin olive oil sweet potato, ear of corn or  ¼ cup chopped fresh green/red pepper, 2 large basil celery stalks & 2 medium  1 tablespoon minced carrots. shallot  1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar  ¼ teaspoon salt 1 cup 100% juices also equal  Freshly ground pepper to 1 serving of fruits or veggies. taste Definitions for “small”, “medium” and “large” Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss corn depend on the food. These and oil to coat, and spread out on definitions as well as tips on large baking sheet. Bake, stirring ways to increase your intake once, until some kernels begin to of fruits and vegetables can brown (about 20 minutes). Combine other ingredients in be found at the My Pyramid medium bowl. Add corn; toss to website. coat. Serve warm or cold. Serves 4. Frozen, canned, and dried fruits and vegetables have the Per each ½ cup serving: 165 calories; 8 g fat (1 g sat, 6 g same health benefits as fresh mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 23 g ones do and may be easier to carbohydrate; 4 g protein; 3 g fiber; store or buy in bulk. Read 163 mg sodium; 332 mg potassium nutrition labels on food packages, and choose those with minimal amounts of fat, sodium, and sugar. For more information, see:

USDA My Pyramid at: http://www.mypyramid.gov/index.html (see “Inside the Pyramid”)

Department of Foods and Nutrition, The University of Georgia, GA 30602 4 Division of Aging Services, Georgia Department of Human Resources, Atlanta, GA 30303 Live Healthy Georgia – Seniors Taking Charge!

2005 Dietary Guidelines at: http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/ (see Chapter 5 and Appendix A2)

Fruits and Veggies, More Matters at: http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/

Department of Foods and Nutrition, The University of Georgia, GA 30602 5 Division of Aging Services, Georgia Department of Human Resources, Atlanta, GA 30303