Eat Right. Your Way. Every Day.

March kicks off National Nutrition Month®, a nutrition education campaign sponsored annually by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Initiated in 1973 as a week-long event, “National Nutrition Week” became a month-long observance in 1980 in response to growing public interest in nutrition. During the 2013 National Nutrition Month, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics encourages everyone to include the foods they love as part of a healthful eating plan that is tailored to lifestyles, traditions, health needs and tastes through this year’s theme: Eat Right. Your Way. Every Day.

Today’s busy shoppers are pressed for time and looking for tasty food choices that provide good nutrition at an affordable price. Having all forms of fruits and vegetables on hand – fresh, frozen, canned, dried and 100% juice – makes them accessible, convenient and ready-to-use when preparing meals and snacks at home. Eating and drinking colorful fruits and veggies in all forms provides a wide range of natural vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and fiber important to overall good health. With hundreds of different kinds of fruits and vegetables and thousands of different ways to prepare them, there’s bound to be something to please everyone! Aim to fill half your plate with a variety of your favorite colorful fruits and vegetables each day in ways that best fit into your lifestyle.

Benefits of Eating a Colorful Variety of Fruits & Veggies

Green: Abundant in powerful antioxidants, which may help promote healthy vision and reduce cancer risks. Best Choices: kiwi, frozen broccoli, spinach and kale

Orange & Yellow: Rich in the well-known beta-carotene, vitamin C and lutein. Beta-carotene is healthy for the skin, vitamin C strengthens the immune system and lutein helps to maintain healthy vision. Best Choices: 100% orange juice, dried apricots, cantaloupe, frozen carrots, canned corn and winter squash

Purple & Blue: Beat the effects of aging with royal-colored produce. Purple and blue foods have antioxidant benefits and may help with memory, urinary tract health and reduced cancer risks. Best Choices: blueberries, frozen blackberries, dried plums, raisins, eggplant and purple cabbage

Red: Loaded with the antioxidant lycopene, which may help lower the risk of prostate and ovarian cancers as well as help maintain a healthy heart, vision and immunity. Best Choices: canned tomatoes, watermelon, ruby red grapefruit, dried cranberries, 100% pomegranate juice and beets

White: White, tan and brown foods sometimes contain nutrients that may promote heart health and reduce cancer risks. Best Choices: potatoes, cauliflower, canned mushrooms and onions

The information is not intended as medical advice. Please consult a medical professional for individual advice.

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