SUMMER FRUITS AND VEGGIES

Summertime is a wonderful season for discovering the joy of fresh fruits and vegetables.  Many SCA employees are already enjoying the results of their home gardening, while others are frequent visitors to the local “pick your own” farm or farmer’s market.  In case you needed more convincing, here are some reasons that fresh fruits and vegetables should take up half of your plate at every meal.

1.       UNMATCHED NUTRITION

Someone once told me that taking a multivitamin instead of eating fruits and vegetables was like trading in your luxury car for a bus pass.  No substitute.  While a multivitamin can help to avoid deficiency for a handful of basic nutrients, it can’t come close to providing the thousands of compounds that occur in a serving of broccoli or cantaloupe.  We are still discovering these compounds, which in recent years have included the lycopene in tomatoes and resveratrol in red grapes.  These compounds in fruits and vegetables seem to interact with each other for super disease-fighting power.

2.       NUTRIENT DENSITY

Fruits and vegetables are low on calories and high on nutrients.  That mean, pound-for-pound, you are getting the most benefit to your organs with the least detriment to your waistline!  The color of produce provides information about its nutrients, so go for a rainbow on your plate for the most health benefit.  (For that rainbow, some white stuff counts!  Garlic, onions, cauliflower and turnips are white foods worth choosing.)



3.       FIBER

Fruits are high in natural sugars, but they are also high in fiber.  This means that the sugar enters your bloodstream more gradually over time.  That’s why fresh fruit is a much healthier choice than fruit juices.  The fiber in fruits and vegetables keeps you full for longer and helps with healthy digestion.

4.       THE PLANET

Eating local fruits and vegetables requires less energy, less water, and less pollution than most other foods.  For even better sustainability, try to buy directly from a local farm or grown your own.  If you are concerned about pesticides, you may want to choose organic for the ten foods that are highest in pesticides, also called the “dirty dozen.” 

-          Apples

-          Celery

-          Strawberries

-          Peaches

-          Spinach

-          Imported Nectarines

-          Imported Grapes

-          Sweet Bell Peppers

-          Potatoes

-          Blueberries

For these fruits and veggies, you could also grow your own without pesticides.  For the imported offenders, try to choose a domestic variety.

5.       THE ECONOMY

How can fruits and vegetables help the economy?  You can save money by growing your own food.  You can also help local farmers by buying their crop directly through community supported agriculture (CSA) where you pay a lump or weekly sum for a portion of what they grow all season.  You can also save on healthcare costs (for you and SCA) by staying healthy!