Fall colors you can eat

Canned Food Alliance and Produce for Better Health Foundation team up to help you keep color on your plate.

The leaves may be falling outside but that's no reason to let the color disappear from your plate. This fall take notice of the nutritional benefits of all your warm-weather favorites in a can.

The Canned Food Alliance and Produce for Better Health Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables in the American diet, have joined forces to keep color on your plates through the cold weather months.

Eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables provides the vitamins, minerals, fiber and other phytonutrients your body uses to help maintain a healthy weight, promote good health and energy levels, protect against the effects of aging, and reduce the risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and some cancers. When packaged in cans, a wide array of fruits and vegetables are available year round and can be prepared quickly.

"Saying goodbye to summer does not mean sacrificing nutrition or taste," says Roberta L. Duyff, nationally known registered dietitian, fellow of the American Dietetic Association and author of 365 Days of Healthy Eating from the American Dietetic Association. "Fall is the perfect time to experiment with colorful canned ingredients in your favorite recipes and for quick, nutritious meals."

Every fruit and vegetable has a unique assortment of vitamins, minerals, fiber and other phytonutrients. The next time you're planning meals remember the canned food aisle includes plenty of colorful, nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables to help moderately active adults and teens get the five cups of fruits and vegetables they need every day. Whatever your activity level, consider these great tasting -- and colorful -- foods:

• Blue and purple foods include blueberries, blackberries, plums, black olives and purple figs.
• Green foods include green beans, zucchini, peas, spinach and other leafy greens, artichokes and asparagus.
• White foods are mushrooms, pears and potatoes.
• Red foods include tomatoes, beets, cherries and red peppers.
• Yellow and orange foods to consider are carrots, corn, mangoes, papayas, peaches, pineapple, pumpkin, yellow peppers and sweet potatoes.

Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) is a non-profit foundation whose mission is to create a healthier America through increased consumption of a variety of fruits and vegetables. Visit Happy News for more information about fruits and vegetables.

The Canned Food Alliance (CFA) is a partnership of the American Iron and Steel Institute's Steel Packaging Council, the Can Manufacturers Institute, select food processors and affiliate members. The primary mission of the CFA is to serve as a resource for information on the nutrition, convenience, contemporary appeal and versatility of canned food. For hundreds of mealtime solutions, visit Happy News.

Source: RefillPill.com Editors' Choice