Eat Them

Consumption of enough fruits and vegetables has become a great concern in the US during recent years. The rich vitamins and minerals found in fresh fruits and vegetables make them very special as the cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately, only 20% of all Americans eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day (not including french fries and potato chips), the minimum amount recommended by nutritionists. Scientists, researchers and the media give reports supporting the fact that fruits  and vegetables are essential for good health. Eating 5-9 fruits and vegetables can help prevent serious diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Have you ever considered looking at the 5 a Day for Better Health Program? It recommends making your meal time colorful and healthy. Think about the different colors of fruits and vegetables that are available to add to your meal each time you eat and it will become a habit. And guess what? A habit is hard to change.

Red:  Strawberries, Watermelons and Tomatoes

Orange & Yellow:  Oranges, Carrots and Papaya

Green:  Spinach, Broccoli and Green Beans

White:  Pears, Bananas and Cauliflower

Blue & Purple: Blackberries, Chinese Cabbage and Eggplants

A combination of fruits and vegetables can keep your heart healthy, strengthen your immune system, give you good memory, good vision health, give you strong bones and teeth, give you a healthy weight, lower your risk of high blood pressure, stroke and as previously mentioned lower your risk of cancer.

"An average of four strangers handled your apple before you chose it and up to 20 may have handled your tomato." Ann Zander

Be Alert

Raw and minimally processed produce can occasionally become contaminated with disease-causing organisms such as Escherichia coli O157: H7, Salmonella, or Listeria monocytogenes. Since the number of illnesses associated with eating fruits and vegetables has increased,  scientists and public health agencies want to be sure consumers know how best to keep their foods safe to eat. In addition to bacteria, produce can pick up dust and soil during harvesting, packaging, handling and shipping. Fresh fruits and vegetables may also have traces of chemicals on the surface. As much as fresh fruits and vegetables are healthy so do they present food safety challenges.

Consider This

How would you feel to learn that excess bacteria ended up in your body, and you could have prevented it? It may have been  an unused  minute or two of your time or perhaps just not paying close attention to information at your reach. Bacteria can cause nausea, stomach upset, diarrhea, or even death once they enter the human body. Since it is hard to recognize bacteria with the naked eye, you need to be aware that it is not only present in rotten, damaged or bruised fruits and vegetables, but may also be present in nice looking ones.

Basic Facts

• Some produce such as strawberries should not be washed before storage. Washing before storage will cause some fruits and vegetables to spoil faster.

• All fruits and vegetables should be washed with cold, running tap water before eating. And if washed twice or more, better becomes best.

• Fruits and vegetables are not to be washed with detergent or bleach.

• Special cleaning agents are not needed. Plain water works best and is the safest for washing produce.

• Blowing on an apple and rubbing it on your clothes does not make it clean to eat. The good news is that you know you are safe after washing your produce thoroughly.

• Some produce such as bananas and mangoes which are sometimes stored at room temperature to speed ripening are to be kept dry and clean.

What Can Help?

• Look for fresh looking fruits and vegetables without bruises or mold. Avoid produce that is shriveled that shows signs of insect bites or anything that smells rotten.

• Buy only what is needed for a few days.

• Do not put other grocery items on top of fruits and vegetables in the shopping cart. They can easily be damaged.

• Exercise the habit of keeping your kitchen environment clean. This includes your refrigerator.

• Wash your hands often and teach your family and people around you to do the same. If individual families exercise this habit there will be a society with healthy families and a world full of healthy people.

• All fruits and vegetables should be washed even if the rind or skin is not going to be eaten. Washing prevents bacteria on the surface from being transferred to the inside when cut or peeled.

• Remember to refrigerate produce that needs to be refrigerated as soon as you bring it home if it is not going to be eaten immediately.

Healthy Recipes

Fresh Fruit Salad

You Need:

1 medium cantaloupe

1 medium honeydew

1 medium pear

1 cup red seedless grapes

2 medium kiwis

2 teaspoons of lemon juice

Method:

• Clean fruits thoroughly as described above.

• Peel and dice cantaloupes, honeydew, kiwi and pear. In a large bowl, combine diced fruits with grapes and toss with lemon juice.

• Serve and enjoy.

Garden Fresh Salad

You Need:

2 cups leaf lettuce, cut

1 cup broccoli florets, cut

1/2 cup carrots, shredded

1 cup baby spinach

1/2 cup Chinese cabbage, shredded

1/2 cup diced tomatoes

Method:

• Clean all vegetables as described above.

• Combine all ingredients together in bowl and serve with your favorite dressing.

Tips To Go

• Keep your refrigerator clean.

• Wrap or cover any unused cut produce in the refrigerator to keep it fresh and nutrients intact. This also helps prevent cross contamination by contact with other foods.

• Fresh fruits and vegetables are low in calories. Eat a wide variety of them often.

• If you happen to be given an apple when there is no water to wash it, rubbing it on your clothes or with a cloth is not enough. Wait and eat it after you have washed it.

• There is no method which can completely eliminate bacteria from fresh produce without interfering with the taste, quality, texture and color of the produce.

• The elderly, infants and young children, pregnant women, persons with HIV/AIDS, and other immune compromised persons are more susceptible to foodborne illness than other groups of people. Cleaning produce thoroughly before eating it is especially important for these people.

Sources

• Chen F. & Kilonzo–Nthenge, A. 2004. Reducing Listeria Innocua on Fresh Produce with Wash Practices Convenient for Consumers. Tennessee State University Laboratory Data Report.

• Five a Day the Color Way. 2003. Produce for Better Health Foundation. Retrieved from www.5aday.com.

• Food Safety Network. 2003. What Should I Know About Washing Fruits and Vegetables? University of Guelph. Retrieved from www.foodsafetynetwork.ca.

• Parnell, T. L & Harris, L. 2002. Reducing Salmonella on Apples With Wash Practices Commonly Used by Consumers. Journal of Food Protection. 66; 5, 741-747.

• Safe Handling of Fruits and Vegetables Why and How. 2001. University of Minnesota Extension Service. Retrieved from www.extension.umn.edu/info-u/nutrition/BJ779.html.

• Safe Handling of Fruits and Vegetables. 1999. Ohio State University. Retrieved from ohioonline.ose.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5353.html.

• Zander, A. 2000. Washing Fruits and Vegetables. Colorado State University Cooperative Extension. Retrieved from www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/colmncc/cc000630.html.