a bowl of fun

Look For The Rainbow.

Posted on May 5, 2011 by admin

In your foods, that is.

Tips to help you get enough servings each day
*Look for the strong, deep colors (think of dark green romaine vs. iceberg)

*Pairing certain foods together can increase their chances of being absorbed.

*Be sure to buy produce often and use within a week. It will be a waste of money if it just rots in your fridge, and the nutrients leech out over time as well.

*Learn to steam your veggies in the microwave. This is a quick method that holds in most of the nutrients. Steamed broccoli is the best!

*To increase your options, learn to roast vegetables in the oven. Cut up any kind of vegetable (I like to use zucchini or asparagus, or an assortment) toss with a little olive oil and some Italian seasoning. Spread evenly on a flat pan and place in oven under broiler. It will only take 5-10 minutes and depending on the vegetable, you may want to stir once and out back in. Experiment with different spices and vegetables.

*Eat your fruits, don’t drink them. Fruit juice is concentrated with sugars and you don’t get the fiber you need.

Here are some typical serving sizes for fruits and vegetables:
Fruits rainbow fruit
* one banana
* six strawberries
* two plums
* fifteen grapes
* one apple
* one peach
* one half cup of orange or other fruit juice

Vegetables rainbow salad
* five broccoli florets
* ten baby carrots
* one roma tomato
* 3/4 cup tomato juice
* half of a baked sweet potato
* one ear of corn
* four slices of an onion
* 1 cup of lettuce

By having a large salad for lunch, with lettuce, spinach, tomato, cucumbers, and carrots, you could easily end up with 6 servings or more right there!

{Source: http://livingthebalancedlife.com/2010/look-for-the-rainbow/}