Healthy Children Healthy Futures

Eat about 5 total cups of fruits and veggies every day. Try to get at least 2 cups from the fruit group and 21/2 cups from the vegetable group. Fruits and vegetables provide important vitamins, minerals, fiber and more.

• Regularly choose a rich-colored rainbow of veggies from all five categories: dark green, orange, legumes (dry beans), starchy vegetables and other vegetables.
• Enjoy 3 cups each week of darkgreen vegetables, like spinach and collard greens; 2 cups each week of orange vegetables, like carrots.
• Go easy on the butter or sauce added to vegetables. Flavor veggies with fresh herbs, like parsley or dill, and a squirt of lemon juice.
• Cook vegetables only until just done. When veggies become mushy and lose color, vitamins and minerals are lost.

FOCUS ON FRUITS
• Choose fresh fruits, 100% fruit juices and frozen, canned or dried fruit. Go easy on fruits canned or frozen in heavy syrups.
• Eat whole fruits most often- they're higher in fiber than fruit juices. . Punches, 'ades and most fruit drinks contain little juice and lots of added sugars. Only 100% juice counts as fruit.
• Have kids choose a new fruit each month.

Choose fresh fruits and vegetables when they're in season, such as turnip and collard greens, cherries, strawberries and peaches in July and tomatoes, kale, apples and watermelon in September. A farmers' market or a corner fruit and vegetable market is a good bet for good prices.

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Eat at least a total of 5 cups of fruit and vegetables a day Eat about 5 total cups of fruits and veggies every day. Try to get at least 2 cups from the fruit group and 21/2 cups from the vegetable group. Fruits and vegetables provide important vitamins, minerals, fiber and more. VARY YOUR VEGGIES • Regularly choose a rich-colored rainbow of veggies from all five categories: dark green, orange, legumes (dry beans), starchy vegetables and other vegetables. • Enjoy 3 cups each week of darkgreen vegetables, like spinach and collard greens; 2 cups each week of orange vegetables, like carrots. • Go easy on the butter or sauce added to vegetables. Flavor veggies with fresh herbs, like parsley or dill, and a squirt of lemon juice. • Cook vegetables only until just done. When veggies become mushy and lose color, vitamins and minerals are lost. FOCUS ON FRUITS • Choose fresh fruits, 100% fruit juices and frozen, canned or dried fruit. Go easy on fruits canned or frozen in heavy syrups. • Eat whole fruits most often- they're higher in fiber than fruit juices. . Punches, 'ades and most fruit drinks contain little juice and lots of added sugars. Only 100% juice counts as fruit. • Have kids choose a new fruit each month. $ Money-Saving Suggestions $ Choose fresh fruits and vegetables when they're in season, such as turnip and collard greens, cherries, strawberries and peaches in July and tomatoes, kale, apples and watermelon in September. A farmers' market or a corner fruit and vegetable market is a good bet for good prices.
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