Nutrition is the key to health. All that is more important this month because June happens to be National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month. June is also a month where fruits and vegetables can be locally grown and available. The goal of National Fruit and Vegetable Month is to increase the daily consumption of fresh produce. Fruit and vegetables provide a list of valuable nutrients that your body needs such as calcium, fiber, folate, iron, magnesium, potassium, sodium, Vitamin A, and Vitamin C. The downside of having fresh fruits and vegetables is that the food tends to spoil faster compared to dry, canned and frozen food. Fruits and vegetables can be eaten annually depending on the seasons because each fruit can be grown differently. With fruits and vegetables, there are options to making different types of healthy snacks and food.
Foods such as avocados can be added to any meal such as sushi, food wraps, etc. Avocados provide nearly 20 essential nutrients such as potassium, folic acid, B-vitamins, and Vitamin E which is a good source of fiber and folate. These nutrients also act as a “nutrient booster” by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients.
Another food is pepper because summer is a good season to grow and plenty of them are being produced near local farmer’s markets. They tend to have a sweet flavor due to the season. Red peppers are generally more nutritious than other peppers. They have more nutrition because the red peppers have been growing for a longer time compared to the green ones, thus riper. Red peppers tend to have almost 11 times more beta-carotene and 1.5 times more vitamin C, compared to green peppers.
Fruits such as cherries tend to grow a lot in the summer. Cherries tend to have a lot of benefits from balancing your blood pressure, easing muscle soreness, combat cancer and more. Cherries are a good source of vitamin C with 16 percent of recommended value in one cup. Cherries also help with arthritis, with its sweet and tart. Arthritis is caused by uric acids which cause inflammation, swelling, and tenderness. Eating about 2 cups of cherries can lower uric acids by at least 15 percent. So, here are some options of produce to add to your dinner table. Grocery shop and eat healthier this National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month.
Eat Fresh
by Henry Xie