Smart Ways to Enjoy More Fruit and Veggie Snacks

You probably already know how good fruits and vegetables are for your health. However, you may not know just HOW good-for-you produce really is. For busy families, the answer is clear: Eating more fruits and veggies is one of the smartest food moves you can make.

For example, research confirms that eating more whole fruits and vegetables is one of the best ways to reduce your risk of getting diabetes and heart disease (by as much as 60%!). If you’re concerned about brainpower (at work or home), green leafy veggies are a must-eat treat. They have been shown to slow cognitive decline in older adults.

Enjoy FRESH fruit and vegetable snacks.

It’s no secret that fresh fruit and veggies provide a nutrition boost for everyone in your family. But, how can you get them to eat more produce snacks? The answer is in plain sight. That’s right; just keep bright, beautiful produce where everyone can easily grab it for snacks-on-the-run. Keep a bowl of fresh, just ripe whole fruit in the center of your kitchen or dining table. Keep small bags of fresh veggie snacks (carrots, celery sticks, and broccoli florets) at eye level in the fridge.

Enjoy DRIED fruit and vegetable snacks.

Dried fruit is the perfect snack-to-go. It doesn’t need refrigeration - and it never makes a squishy mess in your backpack or purse. Choose dried fruit with little or no added sugar: apples, apricots, blueberries, and raisins are often dried with just their own natural sweetness. Add dried fruit to trail mix or to fresh fruit salads for a splash of color and a healthy dose of nutrients. Dried beans and peas count as veggies, so look for crunchy dried soybean, pea, and chickpea snacks.

Enjoy CANNED fruit and vegetable snacks.

Canned fruits make appealing, quick, and inexpensive snacks. Enjoy fruits canned in juice or, like natural applesauce, made without added sugar. Divide larger cans into smaller portions in reusable plastic containers or take advantage of the convenience in single serve containers of canned fruits, such as mandarin oranges, pineapple chunks, and applesauce. Canned beans make zesty snack dips when mixed with other veggies, such as canned corn and spicy salsa.

Enjoy FROZEN fruit and vegetable snacks.

Frozen fruits are often less expensive than the fresh varieties. Frozen strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries can be purchased in large bags, and then used as small handfuls for yogurt toppings or as smoothie ingredients. Frozen bars made from 100% fruit and juice (commercial or make-your-own) are a sweet and refreshing treat on hot summer days. Like their canned cousins, frozen veggies are delicious when microwaved quickly and added to bean/salsa dip combinations.

5 Delicious Ways to Keep Fruits and Veggies Fresh

Keep fruits and vegetables safe for your family.

Wherever you buy produce, you can protect your investment by following a few important strategies: (1) Reduce food waste by buying only as much as you can eat (or prepare) until your next shopping trip. (2) Take food from market to home as quickly as possible. (3) Wash produce with clean hands when you are ready to eat it, NOT when you bring it home. (4) Refrigerate all cut-up fruit or veggies (fresh or cooked) within two hours. And, remember, different fruits and vegetables require different temperature and humidity levels for optimal shelf life and food safety.

Keep fruits and vegetables fresh on your counter tops.

Many fruits do best when they are ripened on the counter, then refrigerated once fully ripe. Items in this category include melons, peaches, plums, and nectarines, as well as avocados and tomatoes (which are fruit in the botanical sense). It also works for more tropical fruits, such as bananas, papayas, and mangoes. Do not leave fruit in plastic bags on counters. This can slow the ripening process and may lead to rotten spots; paper bags allow better airflow and are fine for most fruits.

Keep fruits and vegetables fresh in your refrigerator.

Most other fresh fruits/veggies are best stored in a clean refrigerator at 40 degrees F or below - in plastic bags with holes to allow for air flow. Use crisper drawers for whole produce, storing fruits separately from vegetables. Fruits give off a gas that can shorten the storage life of other items, while vegetables (like broccoli) give off odors that can affect the taste and quality of fruits. To avoid cross contamination, be sure to keep meat, poultry, and fish separate from produce items.

Keep fruits and vegetables fresh in your cupboards.

Some produce items are best stored in a clean, dry, well-ventilated space with no direct light - like in a cupboard. Included in this category are potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, and winter squash (acorn, butternut, Hubbard, etc.), as well as garlic and onions. When storing canned products in cupboards, use the FIFO rule: First In, First Out. Writing the month and year of purchase on top of the can or jar makes it easy to decide which products to use before others.

Keep fruits and vegetables fresh in the freezer.

Keep extra summer fruits and veggies in your freezer (where the FIFO rule also applies) with help from Montana State University Extension. Two online publications can help you with freezing decisions: one for Freezing Fruits and another for Freezing Vegetables. For more information about a large number of fruits and vegetables, the produce database at Fruits and Veggies More Matters allows you to search for detailed information on choosing and storing a long list of delicious produce choices. On the same site, you can also find recipes, nutrition information, and other helpful tips on increasing your family’s intake of nature’s fast food - fruits and vegetables.

My Fantasy (School) Lunch with Jamie Oliver

Just posted on the IFIC Food Insight blog ... my invitation to take Jamie Oliver to lunch in Gallatin Gateway, Montana. Love to hear what you think ...

My Fantasy (School) Lunch with Jamie Oliver

I would love to have lunch with Jamie Oliver. He’s charming, witty, and we have so much in common – fresh food prepared from scratch, children’s health, and serving the best possible food in schools. I’ve read that he has had a “tough time” with the second season of his U.S. TV series since “[Nothing] that was planned has come off" (New York Daily News, March 9, 2011).

For some R-and-R and an incredible lunch, I’d like to invite Jamie to join me in Gallatin Gateway just south of Bozeman, Montana – where the blue ribbon trout stream that starred in “A River Runs Through It” will be a short walk from our table. We could enjoy some early morning catch-and-release – and then join Chef Jason Moore and his assistant Bobbi Jo for lunch at the Gallatin Gateway School. We’d have to share our table with ten or twelve exuberant students, but I know that Jamie loves to eat good food with kids.

Even with spectacular fly-fishing, you may wonder why I would take Jamie Oliver to lunch a K-8 school with only 180 students in a tiny Montana town? It’s quite simple: Gallatin Gateway epitomizes the school lunch revolution that is taking place from coast to coast – without the fanfare or food fights of a TV “reality” show. I featured Gallatin Gateway School for a full-week on School Meals That Rock for many reasons – most importantly because the students love to eat their delicious and nutritious meals.

During a recent cafeteria visit, my first clue that I was in an exceptional school was when the health teacher brought in a group of kindergarteners to smell what was cooking for lunch. The second was when two students (4th grade girl and 3rd grade boy) told me that their favorite school lunch was SPLIT PEA SOUP. The final, best tasting clue was when I took a bite of the whole-grain, cranberry-orange roll on my tray.

The great news about school meals is that Gallatin Gateway is just one tiny example of the delicious, nutrient-rich revolution that is taking place across the country. Hundreds of thousands of “lunch ladies” and gentlemen work miracles in school districts large and small every day. They prepare and serve meals that are often the best food that at-risk children get to eat during the day.

School meals are required to meet strict guidelines for food safety, address food allergies, and meet USDA nutrition standards. And, they do all of this for average reimbursements rates of only about $1.60 for breakfast and $2.75 for lunch, which must cover food, labor, supplies, and equipment costs. For dozens of additional examples of the everyday miracles in school nutrition programs, visit Tray Talk and School Meals That Rock.

So, Jamie, please come to lunch with me in Montana. If we pick the right day, we can enjoy a little fishing – and then treat ourselves to the healthiest lunch in town: some of that famous Split Pea Soup with a homemade whole-grain breadstick, steamed carrots, an apple, and 1% chocolate milk.

Yes, Jamie, I do believe that low-fat chocolate milk (from Northwest farmer owned Dairgold) can have a place on a school lunch tray. For a minimal amount of added sugar, children get significant amounts of three out of the four nutrients of concern identified by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans: calcium, potassium, and vitamin D. (With the split pea soup and whole-grain roll, they also get plenty of fiber too!). No need to take my word on this one, just read Dr. Rachel Johnson’s excellent piece on Why Jamie Oliver’s battle against chocolate milk may be the wrong one.

Honestly, I do not want to live in a world without chocolate. Guessing by the number of very yummy chocolate recipes on your website, you don’t either!

Dayle Hayes, MS, RD, is president of Nutrition for the Future based in Big Sky country (Billings, Montana) and Chair of the School Nutrition Services Dietetic Practice Group of the American Dietetic Association.

5 Delicious Ways to Serve Up Leafy Green Vegetables

When it comes to veggies, the experts agree: Enjoying 1/2 to 1 cup of nutrient-rich leafy greens every day is a super smart nutrition decision. Greens are packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber - plus they may reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers. Now, that’s the kind of news you can really dig into – but remember, salads are just one delicious way to enjoy leafy greens.

1. Toss leafy greens into a salad.

All the best salads start with leafy greens. In terms of veggies (and fruits), the darker the color the more nutrition in the produce. So, start all your salads with Romaine and red lettuces, baby spinach, or maybe some arugula. Then, add a variety of colorful chopped produce. Strawberries, craisins, and bananas go great with fresh spinach.

2. Chop leafy greens into a stir-fry.

Almost any vegetable works great in a stir-fry, especially when combined with thin slices of lean beef, pork, chicken, or tofu. Chopped leafy greens, such as spinach, kale, and various Chinese cabbages, are the perfect addition to stir-fried dishes. Since leafy veggies cook quickly at high heat, add them just before serving the stir-fry.

3. Stir leafy greens into a hearty soup.

Soups are another easy way to enjoy leafy green vegetables. Flavorful varieties, such as mustard greens, beet greens, and kale, are especially good in bean and lentil soups. Greens also cook quickly in hot liquids, so chop them into medium-sized pieces and add 10 minutes before serving. A few greens can really jazz up canned soups as well.

4. Roll leafy greens into a sandwich wrap.

Start with a tortilla or pita bread. Choose some protein (tuna or chicken salad, sliced turkey, or roast beef, low-fat cheese, etc.). Then, add a layer of leafy greens. Romaine lettuce, baby spinach, and arugula are great greens for wraps. They’re also really tasty on top of pizza (toss lightly with olive oil or lemon juice and serve on cooked pizza).

5. Steam or sauté leafy greens into a side dish.

Fresh leafy greens can quickly be made into a delicious side for any meal. Steam and season with a little lemon juice; sauté with garlic or green onions; or microwave for 2 minutes and top with a little olive oil. For additional flavor, sprinkle lightly with cheese (feta, blue, or Gorgonzola) or chopped nuts (almonds, pecans, or walnuts).