Make Half Your Plate Fruits and Vegetables!

Presenter name and affiliation

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What Does It Mean?

a. Eat any fruit or vegetable as long as it fits on half your plate.

b. Choose nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables to fill up about half your plate.

c. Both a and b

Make Half Your Plate Fruits and Vegetables!

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What Does It Mean?

a. Eat any fruit or vegetable as long as it fits on half your plate.

b. Choose nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables to fill up about half your plate.

c. Both a and b

Make Half Your Plate Fruits and Vegetables!

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Health Benefits

• Reduced risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease

• Protection against some cancers• Lower blood pressure• Reduced risk of kidney stones • Decrease in bone loss

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Match Nutrients - Food Sources!

• Fiber• Folate• Potassium• Beta-carotene• Vitamin C

• Oranges• Leafy greens• Legumes• Papayas• Tomatoes• White potatoes

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Match Nutrients - Food Sources!

• Fiber• Folate• Potassium• Beta-carotene• Vitamin C

• Oranges• Leafy greens• Legumes• Papayas• Tomatoes• White potatoes

These are excellent food sources of these nutrients. You can get these nutrients from MANY fruits and vegetables!

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Selecting Nutrient-Rich F/V

Think COLORS!!

RED

ORANGEGREEN

PURPLE

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Selecting Nutrient-Rich F/V

Think VARIETY!!

CRUNCHY

CANNED

SOFT

FROZENFRESH

For illustrative purposes only; Extension does not endorse specific brands.

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Maximize Nutrients: Buying

• Buy fruits and vegetables fresh and in season when possible.

• Choose fresh fruits or canned fruits with little or no added sugar.

• When buying frozen vegetables, select those with no added sauces.

• Look for low sodium or sodium-free when buying canned vegetables.

• Use food labels to compare nutrient values.

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Maximize Nutrients: Preparing

• Use fresh fruits and vegetables as soon as possible.

• Cook veggies in small amount of liquid until just tender.

• Microwave, steam, stir-fry, or lightly grill veggies to retain nutrients.

• Use herbs, spices, lemon or lime juice for flavor.

• Minimize sauces and added salt.

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Increase the Appeal

• Serve fresh cut veggies with a light dip or dressing.• Cut veggies in various shapes for added interest.• Keep a bowl of fresh fruit on the kitchen counter.• In salads use many colors and textures

of fruits and vegetables for variety.• Keep prepared cut-up vegetables in a

see-through container in the refrigerator.

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Get Children Involved

• Let them decide which vegetable to have for dinner.

• In the store, ask them to choose a new vegetable or fruit to try at home.

• Allow them to help with food preparation. Examples:– Prepare fruit kabobs for a snack.– Help with salad preparation.– Cut-up vegetables for a recipe.– Make a fruit salad for dessert.

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What’s for Dinner?

• Find your estimated daily calorie needs.• Look up the amounts to eat from the

Fruits and Vegetables food groups.• Divide these amounts by three.• Pick fruit and vegetable portions that

meet these dinner goals. • Decide on food preparation techniques

to keep foods as healthful as possible.

Using MyPlate in Your Life - Adults

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What about Mixed Foods?

• We often include foods from more than one food group in our recipes.

• Recommended amounts from four of the food groups for a 2,000 calorie diet divided by 3:– Vegetables: 1 cup (rounded up)– Fruits: 2/3 cup– Grains: 2 ounce equivalents– Protein Foods: 2 ounce equivalents (rounded up)

• We may make adjustments in these amounts for the dinner meal based on our usual eating patterns.

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MyPlate – Dinner 1

1 cup salad

3 ounces broiled salmon (added 1 oz)

1 cup rice pilaf with ½ cup vegetables

1 peach

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Dinner 1 - Nutrients

• 580 calories• 30 grams protein• 69 grams carbohydrate• 6 grams dietary fiber• 20 grams fat• 2750 IU vitamin A• 8 mg vitamin C• 260 mg sodium

NOTE: Dairy is not included in this analysis.

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MyPlate – Dinner 2

Spaghetti and meat balls:1 cup spaghetti3 ounces meatballs (added 1 oz)

⅔ cup fruit salad

1½ cup salad(added ½ cup)

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Dinner 2 - Nutrients

• 500 calories• 23 grams protein• 66 grams carbohydrate• 10 grams dietary fiber• 19 grams fat• 1670 IU vitamin A• 22 mg vitamin C• 350 mg sodium

NOTE: Dairy is not included in this analysis.

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Setting Goals

Write down at least two things that you will do differently this week to make half your plate fruits and vegetables.

Questions?Are there any questions?

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Slide set developed by:

Linda B. Bobroff, Ph.D., RDProfessor and Extension Nutrition SpecialistDepartment of Family, Youth and Community SciencesUniversity of Florida

September 2011