Pretty much everything about summer - especially here in Central Texas - is sunny and bright and that includes fresh summer foods. The incredible depth and breadth of fruit and vegetable choices make summer a wonderful time to rethink your diet and build up its nutritional strength. Seton Outpatient Nutrition Services Senior Clinical Dietitian Wendy Morgan, RD, LD shares her tips about making the nutritious most of summer produce.

"The way to do that is to include fresh, colorful foods to improve the amount of nutrients you get and to take up space so that you are not as hungry," says Wendy. "Here's why."

Pump Up Your Plate With Fruits and Vegetables

"Summer is a great opportunity to pack a nutrition punch into your diet," says Wendy. "You can pump up in several different ways."

Veggies are nature's fast food because they are.

• Easy to grab and go.
• Can be eaten raw or cooked.
• Environmentally green (biodegradable) packaging.
• The most natural source of vitamins and minerals.
• The form of vitamins and minerals that is most easily processed by the body.
• Rich in vitamins A, B, C, E and folate.
• Rich in minerals such as potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc.
• Versatile in taste and texture so they are usable in many forms and dishes.

Pump Up Your Plate With Color

"Fruits and vegetables are colored by natural plant pigments called phytochemicals," continues Wendy.

Scientists report that a diet rich in fruits and vegetable can help:

• Lower cholesterol and blood pressure
• Reduce risk of certain types of cancer
• Reduce the risk of birth defects
• Lower risk of developing cataracts
• Improve memory function
• Improve immune function
• Protect cells from damage
• Lose weight and maintain loss

Eat fruits and vegetables from the color spectrum, including:

• Red (colored by lycopene and anthocyanins) Tomatoes, beets, radishes, red potatoes, red peppers, red cabbage watermelon, guava, strawberries, raspberries, pink grapefruit cherries, red apples, red grapes, rhubarb.
  
  
• Orange/Yellow (colored by cartenoids like beta carotene) Apricots, cantaloupe, peaches, pineapple, mangoes, pears, yellow apples, papayas, yellow & winter squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, yellow peppers, sweet corn.
  
  
• Green (colored by chlorophyll, indoles, lutein, zeaxanthin) Avocado, leafy greens, spinach, artichokes, green beans, cucumbers, peas, Zucchini with skin, broccoli, Bok Choy, green peppers, kiwi, green grapes, Honeydew melon.
  
  
• Blue/Purple (colored by anthocyanins) Blueberries, plums, prunes, raisins, purple grapes, eggplant with skin.
  
  
• White (colored by anthxanthins) Bananas, cauliflower, garlic, mushrooms, onions, jicima, white potatoes.

Pump Up Your Plate With Volume

"Fruits and vegetables contribute to satiety or a feeling of fullness on fewer calories. The fiber and water content means low in calories but high in volume. They are nutrient dense but not energy dense and include complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, mineral, phytochemicals and water packed into a small amount of food," continues Wendy. "Calories per gram or ounce are low compared to that contained in high fat or refined foods."

Nutrition researcher Dr. Barbara Rolls at Penn State described the concept of energy density in her book, Volumetrics. Read an interview with Dr. Rolls.

A key issue in weight control is being able to identify a serving. Wendy cites these examples of common fruits and vegetables:

• 1/2 cup canned (in 100% juice) or frozen or cut-up fresh fruit or vegetables
• 1/4cup dried fruit
• 6 ounces of 100% juice
• 1 medium whole fruit (about size of tennis ball)
• 1 cup raw and leafy green vegetables

Pump Up Your Plate With Fresh Ideas

"If you are trying to add more veggies and fruits to your diet, the following tips might help," says Wendy.

• Visit a local farmers' market
• Try a new fruit and vegetable every week this summer
• Build your meals around fruits and vegetables
• Stop thinking of vegetables as side dishes
• Fill at least 1/2 your plate with colorful veggies
• Snack on cut up fresh veggies
• Eat a salad for an afternoon or after work snack
• Eat a salad before meals
• Add fruit to a salad
• Increase the amount of vegetables in a recipe
• Add pureed, cooked vegetables to thicken soups
• Keep fruit and veggies at eye level in refrigerator ready to eat

Check out these websites for more ideas:

www.mypyramid.gov

www.5aday.com

www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov

CDCs Healthy Weight site

Wendy Morgan, RD, LD

Senior Clinical Dietitian

Seton Outpatient Nutrition Services

Wendy is a clinical dietitian and accepts outpatient nutrition counseling referrals from physicians. Contact her at (512) 324-1000, x18014 for an appointment.

NOTE: The clinical dietitians at the Seton Family of Hospitals are working on a weight management education program to assist Seton employees in achieving their healthy weight goals. Wendy Morgan, RD, LD will make the educational materials they are developing available to you periodically via GoodHealth.com. We call the program Weigh to Health.