go fresh
health tips sponsored by Jewel-Osco
Springtime is peak season for your favorite fruits and vegetables like strawberries, mangos, pineapples, spinach, carrots and collards. It’s the perfect time to head to Jewel-Osco to buy these in-season favorites while they are fresh and ripe. For the ones you can’t eat right away, freeze them while they’re nutrient-rich and to preserve their freshness.
Before freezing fresh fruits and vegetables, you should blanch them in hot water or steam them to kill bacteria and food degrading enzymes. This process will lock in the nutrients from Vitamins B and C that are water-soluble and would break down otherwise.
The recommended daily intake is five or more servings of fruits and vegetables. Adding these colorful varieties to your diet provide a range of vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals that are needed to maintain your energy level, protect you from the effects of aging, and reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease, and combat obesity.
Here are a five ways to incorporate
fruits and vegetables into your diet.
1. Don’t refer to vegetable as side-items. They can stand alone or be featured as your entrée and form the foundation of your meal. Popular items are Portobello mushrooms, vegetable kabobs and tofu.
2. Add a sauce or salad dressing to your steamed vegetables to enhance their flavor.
3. Make smoothies with your fruit. The result is a tasty drink filled with phytochemicals.
4. Purée the fresh vegetable to make different soups.
5. Experiment with different stir-fry vegetable recipes and invite your friends over to try them.
recipes sponsored by Jewel-Osco
Springtime is here and it’s time to get those bodies in shape for your beach wear and bikinis. Smoothies are a healthy meal option that can be added to your daily routine and busy lifestyle. These treats are the perfect solution to keep you energized.
Dreamsicle
1 cup of low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 cup of fresh strawberries
1 whole banana
¾ cup of fresh blueberries
2 cups of ice
2 tbsp. of honey
½ cup of your favorite juice
Blend juice, yogurt, strawberries, and banana with ice until smooth. Add honey to sweeten to desired taste. |
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