Make the Most of Summer’s Bounty!

Good nutrition doesn’t have to consist of inflexible rules or mean you have to sacrifice taste. Summer’s bounty makes it easier than ever to eat healthily and deliciously with loads of gorgeous fruits and vegetables! Farmers’ markets offer many summer delights at reasonable prices. Here are some tips to help you enjoy all that summer has to offer:

Keep it colorful. Challenge yourself to try fruits and vegetables of different colors. Make it a red/green/orange day eat an apple/lettuce/carrots, for example. Or see if you can consume a rainbow of fruits and vegetables during the week. Different colors provide you with different vitamins and minerals.

Add it on. Add fruits and vegetables to the foods you already love. Try adding frozen peas to mac and cheese, veggies on top of pizza, or slices of fruit on top of breakfast cereals or low-fat ice cream. Also try adding vegetables into pasta sauces, lasagnas, casseroles, soups and omelets. Mixing fresh or frozen berries into pancakes, waffles or muffins is another great way to make fruits a part of every meal.

Roast away! Try roasting vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, onions, carrots, tomatoes and eggplant. Steaming, grilling, sautéing, roasting, baking and microwaving vegetables are ideal preparation methods.

Enjoy vegetable dippers. Chop raw vegetables into bite-sized pieces. Try bell peppers, carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower and celery, and dip your favorites into low-fat or fat-free dressings or hummus.

Enjoy fruit desserts. Fresh or canned fruit in light syrup or natural fruit juice, gelatin containing fruit, and dried fruit are all good dessert choices.