Happy September! This month is packed with good things–a new season, a new school year and we get to celebrate Fruits & Veggies–More Matters Month. “More Matters” is important to understand when talking about fruit and veggies. Why? Because consuming sufficient quantities of fruit and vegetables each day help our bodies function properly and, unfortunately, many of us don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables. Many times consumers will ask what the required serving is of fruit and veggies. Over the years this amount has increased, and in 2011 the USDA developed the MyPlate icon to show that the recommendation is to fill half your plate with fruits and veggies. I often joke that you won’t ever find your doctor telling you that you’re overindulging in green beans or spinach. Here are some reasons why physicians and nutritionists tell us that “More Matters:”
- Variety – The more variety of fruit and vegetables you eat, especially colorful varieties, the more nutrition you’re providing your body. Different colors and kinds of fruit and veggies contain different types of vitamins and minerals. So the more different kinds you consume, the more diverse the nutrients you’re getting.
- Weight Management – Fruit and vegetables contain fiber and many have a high water content. They tend to make you feel full after eating them and because they are low in calories they won’t pack on the pounds, which makes them terrific for healthy snacks. Almost all fruit and veggies are also fat free too! The more fruit and veggies you fill your plate with, the less of the higher calorie/fat foods you will consume, which make them an important part of any weight management regime. In addition, fruit and vegetables contain vitamins that help keep energy levels high for exercise.
- Flavor – Let’s face it, life is just plain boring with out those sweet and savory fruit and veggies! They add so much to your meals–color, texture and taste. Use citrus juice in place of salt, herbs to add zip to your recipes, add veggies to your casseroles for color and fresh fruit to any dessert to make it extra special.
Fruits & Veggies–More Matters is celebrating their month in a special way this year. They are holding a Freshen Up & Pin Up Challenge via Pinterest through September. It’s really simple–all you have to do is show how you’ve “freshened” up your meal or snack by making it half fruit or veggies and then pinning the picture on their special Pinterest board. Fruits & Veggies–More Matters will select the top 5 pins receiving the most likes and re-pins (combined) at the end of the Challenge period and the winners will be announced on October 1, 2013. The Grand Prize winner will receive $1,500 and the 4 First Place winners will each receive $250! So start showing off how you’ve made a change to your plate for the better!