Sunday, December 31, 2006

Get the Fruits and Veggies You Need Easily

The familiar USDA food pyramid has been replaced by MyPyramid, a food guidance system. MyPyramid helps you learn about the various food groups and their nutritional benefits, then develop a balanced, healthful diet that's right for you based on your age, gender, activity level and other factors.

MyPyramid recommends eating 4 1/2 cups of fruits and vegetables* each day. Here's an easy way to make sure you're getting your 4 1/2 cups. Simply fill half your plate with a variety of fruits and vegetables at each meal and you've done it!

Why are Fruits and Vegetables So Important?

Numerous studies have shown that people who eat a high amount of fruits and vegetables every day as part of an overall healthy diet have a reduced risk of many chronic diseases and may help delay the signs of aging. How can that be? Fruits and
vegetables are an abundant source of essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber — in other words, fruits and vegetables provide many of the nutrients your body needs most. As a bonus, they are naturally low in calories, fat and cholesterol.

Eating fruits and vegetables as part of your overall healthy diet may reduce your risk of some chronic diseases, including:

High blood pressure
Type II diabetes
Certain types of cancer
Coronary heart
disease
Stroke
Obesity

Canned Foods — Nutritious, Delicious and Convenient

Because canned food, such as the variety of Del Monte products, is packed at the peak of its ripeness, it's packed at its nutritional peak as well.

You see, as foods age, they begin to shed some of their essential nutrients. In particular, fruits and vegetables have the highest nutrient content when they are at their ripest. Since canneries are close to the point of harvest, few if any nutrients are lost in transit.

In fact, nutritionally speaking, canned food is comparable to its cooked, fresh and frozen counterparts. A nutrition study conducted by the University of Massachusetts found that when prepared in a recipe, dishes made with canned ingredients provide comparable nutritional value and flavor appeal to those dishes made with fresh or frozen. Plus, canned food is available year-round, right in your
pantry, so it's easy to add to any meal, any day of the year.

Interestingly, a 1997 University of Illinois study and other recent research has shown that the canning process might actually enhance the nutrient profile of certain foods and make some nutrients more available for your body to absorb. Foods like canned beans have higher fiber content than fresh beans, and the nutrient Lycopene is more efficiently absorbed from canned tomatoes than fresh.

Download great recipes from award-winning chef Art Smith and visit www.delmonte.com for more meal solutions.

Check out http://www.mypyramid.gov/ to discover the right food balance for you.

From SamsClub.com

Labels: Tips and Tricks