How to add fruits, vegetables to diet

Let the changing colors of fall be a good reminder for your plate. Enjoy a wide variety of colorful fruits and vegetables.

Keep track of the amount of fruits and vegetables you eat for a couple of days. Many people need about 4 1/2 cups of fruits and vegetables per day to meet their needs. How are you doing?

Here’s how to spread fruits and vegetables throughout the day:

Morning: 1 small banana equals 1/2 cup fruit

Morning snack: 1 apple (2.5 inches in diameter) equals 1 cup fruit

Noon: 2 cups of lettuce equals 1 cup vegetables

Afternoon snack: 6 baby carrots equals 1/2 cup vegetables

Evening: 1/2 large sweet potato and 1/2 cup green beans equals 1 cup vegetables; 1/2 cup berries equals 1/2 cup fruit

Fruits and vegetables provide vitamins, minerals and more!

Diets rich in fiber can lower your risk for heart disease. Lentils, chick peas, and navy, kidney and pinto beans are good sources of this cholesterol-lowering substance.

Folate is found in cooked dry edible beans, spinach and citrus fruits. It has been shown to reduce risk of spinal cord birth defects.

Diets rich in potassium can help maintain a healthy blood pressure. Potatoes, bananas and tomato paste/puree are good sources.

Vitamin A is found in sweet potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, spinach, cantaloupe and other dark orange and green vegetables and fruits. It helps keep your eyes and skin healthy.

Vitamin C is found in red and green peppers, strawberries, oranges, kiwi, broccoli, oranges and brussels sprouts. It helps heal cuts and keeps teeth and gums healthy.

Question: We have lots of apples available to us from our neighbor. We can’t eat them all. How can we preserve some for this winter?

Apples are easy to freeze. You need to pre-treat them with heat or ascorbic acid so they do not darken during storage. Ascorbic acid is found in the canning supplies section in stores.

Sugar Pack: To prevent darkening, dissolve 1/2 teaspoon (1,500 milligrams) of ascorbic acid in 3 tablespoons of water. Sprinkle over the fruit. Or apple slices can be steamed (blanched) for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes. Mix 1/2 cup of sugar with 1 quart (1-1/4 pounds) of fruit. Pack apples into containers and press fruit down, leaving 1/2 inch of head space. Seal and freeze.

Dry Pack: Follow the directions for Sugar Pack, omitting the sugar. Treated apple slices also can be frozen first on a tray and then pack into containers as soon as they are frozen.

Note: Browning also can be halted temporarily by placing fruit in citric acid or lemon juice solutions or in sugar syrup. However, these measures are not as effective as treatment with ascorbic acid in its pure form.

Apples can be dried in an oven or food dehydrator. If you would like more information, visit www.ag.ndsu .edu/foodmenu/storage.htm or contact Luella Morehouse, FNP Education Assistant, NDSU Extension Service Stutsman County, 116-1/2 First Street East, Jamestown. Morehouse may be reached at 252-9030 or luella.morehouse@ndsu. edu.

Tags: life, health, food