Think Green
March is a great month to think green for several reasons. Probably the first thing that comes to mind is St. Patrick’s Day. Second, spring is just around the corner and green is definitely the color of spring. Third, March in traditionally National Nutrition month and many green foods will get you off to a good start improving your nutrition.
Many healthy green foods are vegetables. By now you know MyPyramid recommends 2 to 2-1/2 cups of vegetables everyday. But did you know it also breaks that down to recommendations for specific groups of vegetables? Dark green vegetables are a sub-group of the vegetable group and MyPyramid recommends 3 cups of dark green vegetables a week.
There are many green vegetables. See how many you can list. Vegetables are important in the diet because they can be a good source of vitamin A and C and fiber. Darker colored vegetables usually have more nutrients. For example: ½ cup of regular head lettuce has 0 grams of fiber and 2 percent of the vitamin A and C we need for a day, but ½ cup of chopped broccoli has 1 gram of fiber, 140% of the vitamin A and 70% of the vitamin C needed daily.
Preparing Vegetables
Vegetables are versatile. Many can be eaten raw or cooked. When cooking, to retain flavor and nutrients use a small amount of water and cook just until tender. Vegetable can be cooked in the microwave, on top of the range or in the conventional oven.
Vegetables can also be included in dishes such as soups, stews and casseroles.
Here are some ideas to get you started on including green vegetables everyday:
Make a batch of split pea soup, freeze leftovers in individual servings.
Make an all green salad using your choice of lettuce, cucumber, green pepper, green onion, avocado, cooked green beans.
Find new ways to serve a favorite green vegetable – add chopped broccoli to pasta or apple salad.
Toss steamed green beans with toasted sliced almonds and a little vegetable oil.
Watch for those green, early spring vegetables – asparagus, spinach, and peas and include them in your meals.
| Broccoli Sesame Salad |
2 cups broccoli,
fresh or frozen
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1-1/2 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon lite soy sauce
2 Tablespoons sliced green onion
1 teaspoon sesame seeds |
Place broccoli in small covered microwave container and cook on full power until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Rinse with cool running water and drain well. Place broccoli in serving bowl and add the other ingredients. Stir well and serve immediately or chill to use later.
Serves 2. Nutrition information per serving:
58 calories, 3 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 92 mg sodium. 6 g carbohydrate, and 3 g fiber. |
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