Eat Your Vegetables Day 2013

By Terry Orr

Eating our vegetables each and every day along with fruit - at least twice a day - preferrably at each meal makes good healthy sense and good for you! Let us not forget those healthy snack during the day as well.

Celebrating our health on Eat Your Vegetables Day - 

June 17, 2013!

(Photos from Google) 

National Garden Month

By Diane Forrest

Mary, Mary, quite contrary,

How does your garden grow?

With silver bells, and cockle shells,

And pretty maids all in a row.

I have a friend who loves spending time in the yard.  She is always outside either cleaning or planting or doing something in the yard.  She is always complaining if it rains, because she can't get outside.  I am just the opposite.  I love to see it rain, it gives me an excuse to stay out of the yard.

I have never been much of a yard person; I prefer air conditioning to the hot humid days of Mississippi, and all the bugs that go along with it.   I do like for my yard to look nice, but.... getting it that way is certainly not my favorite thing. 

According to Nationalgardenmonth.org, every April communities, organizations, and individuals nationwide celebrate gardening during National Garden Month. Gardeners know, and research confirms, that nurturing plants is good for us: attitudes toward health and nutrition improve, kids perform better at school, and community spirit grows. Join the celebration and help to make America a greener, healthier, more livable place.

TLC offers some ways to help celebrate this month.  They include:

• Plant a row for the hungry
• Organize a yard share in your community
• Garden with a friend or neighbor
• clean out your garden storage area and inventory your stuff
• Organize a flower brigade and take fresh flowers to the local nursing home or hospitals.

Not only is it the time for planting fresh flowers and plants, but also fresh fruits and vegetables.  My father has already put out his tomato plants, and his neighbor has put out squash, zucchini, peppers and beans.   Not only do they grow enough for their families, but also have plenty to share.

For more gardening ideas, click on this site, and start planting your garden today!  http://www.nationalgardenmonth.org/

(All images from Google) 

June is National Fruit and Vegetable Month - 2012

(Google Image) 

By Diane Forrest, RN

The other night my aunt came in from Texas for a visit.  My mother invited me over for dinner.  My father grilled burgers out on the grill, and we had home grown tomatoes and homemade bread and butter pickles made with cucumbers from his neighbor's garden.  We also had some steamed squash, zucchini, and onions from that garden, and fresh corn on the cob that was a gift from another friend.   I just have to say, there is nothing better than a grilled burger with home grown tomatoes.  It's one of my favorite meals.   It would have even been better with some strawberry short cake for dessert, but we didn't have any.  Luckily a friend of mine was telling me all about the delicious strawberries he had topped his ice cream with, so it was almost as if I could taste them too.

(Google Image) 

June is National Fruit and Vegetable Month.  It’s the perfect time to celebrate, because there are alot of family gardens popping up all over town.  The most popular crop here is tomatoes.  I have never grown any, because people, who do grow them, always have more than they can eat. Other popular crops include: squash, bell peppers, onions, jalapeno peppers, okra, beans and peas.  I don't know of too much fruit grown around here, there are watermelons, cantaloupe, and occasional strawberries and blueberries.

(Google Image) 

Fruits and vegetables are a great way to get the most nutrition out of your calories. They are packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients.  Compared with people who consume a diet with only small amounts of fruits and vegetables, those who eat more generous amounts as part of a healthful diet are likely to have reduced risk of chronic diseases, including stroke and perhaps other cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers.

(Google Image) 

I have to confess I don’t have enough fruits or vegetables in my diet, so here are some tips to help sneak some extras into your meals:

• Wake up to fruit: make a habit of adding fruit—fresh, frozen or dried—to your morning oatmeal, ready-to-eat cereal, yogurt or toaster waffle.
• Stock up: Fill your fridge with raw vegetables and fruits—"nature's fast food"—cleaned, fresh and ready to eat.
• "Sandwich" in fruit and vegetables: Add pizzazz to sandwiches with sliced pineapple, apple, peppers, cucumbers and tomato as fillings.
• Top your pizza with lots of veggies. Try broccoli, spinach, green peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and zucchini.

(Google Image) 

So while the veggies are popping up in your area, stock up and learn how to freeze them to save for the winter months, and if you can't eat enough veggies or fruits, you can always have a V-8!

Eat Your Vegetables Day

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By Chef Terry

Eating your Veggie Day is always celebrated on June 17^th and was strategically created in the middle of National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month; this day is the perfect opportunity to re-introduce a healthy portion of vegetables into your diet. No doubt about it, Eat Your Vegetables Day was created to promote a more healthy diet.......for life! 

(Google Image) 

Eat Your Vegetables: 15 Tips for Veggie Haters (from WebMD):

• Tip No. 1: Add veggies you almost like to dishes you already love;
• Tip No. 2: Try them in soup;
• Tip No. 3: Slip them into salads;
• Tip No. 4: Serve them raw;
• Tip No. 5: Take raw vegetables skinny dipping;
• Tip No. 6: Sneak them into spaghetti and pizza;
• Tip No. 7: Drink your vegetables;
• Tip No. 8: Increase the fun factor;
• Tip No. 9: Grill, baby, grill;
• Tip No. 10: Know how to cook the stronger flavored veggies;
• Tip No. 11: Try them where you least expect them;
• Tip No. 12: Be sensitive to textural turn-offs;
• Tip No. 13: Even fast-food vegetables count;
• Tip No. 14: Don't reward your kids (or yourself) for eating vegetables; and
• Tip No. 15: It's all about the cheese.

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Remember parents – we set the example for our children by our actions!!  Ensure you make vegetable an important part of your meals and snacks.  Along the way, you tell your kids a little about the importance of vegetables for a long and healthy life.

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The next time you think you don't have the time to eat properly, remember that vegetables are among the most convenient foods around. You can cook most vegetables in just a few minutes if you steam, stir-fry, or microwave them.

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Good links:

http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/eat-your-vegetables-and-other-234079.aspx

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/eat-your-vegetables-15-tips-for-veggie-haters

(Google Image) 

Eat Your Vegetables Day - 2011

Remember when you were a kid and your parents always told you that "you have to eat your vegetables." They were right. Vegetables are essential if you want to live a longer, healthier life. Not to mention, they are also delicious!

There are many ways to celebrate Eat Your Vegetables Day. You can substitute vegetables in the place of a junk food snack, or better yet, try being a vegetarian for the whole day. Perhaps the best way to celebrate is by preparing a large salad dinner for your family, complete with everyone's favorite vegetables. After all, celebrating with family is better than celebrating alone! 

As Granny said for years, 'eat healthy and balanced meals each and every day!'