Nutrition: Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables add flavor, color, vitamins, minerals and fiber to meals and snacks. Eating fruits and vegetables every day can also help lower your risk of heart disease and possibly some cancers. Fruits and vegetables add flavor, vitamins, minerals and fiber to meals and snacks. Fresh, frozen, canned and dried varieties are all great choices.
Use these tips to help you and your family add more fruits and vegetables to your diet.
Make Produce Affordable
- Look for sales on fresh, frozen and canned produce. Stock up on shelf-stable items like frozen and canned produce and citrus and root vegetables (sweet potatoes, beets and carrots).
- Buy fruits and vegetables that are whole instead of pre-cut, which can be more expensive.
- Buy produce in season. The prices can be lower and fruits and vegetables usually taste better when it is the right time of year.
- Store fruits and vegetables so they stay fresh longer, taste better and maintain nutrients, saving you money by reducing food waste.
- Check to see if you are eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or other resources.
- Learn about NYC Health Department food access programs and get information on how to plan healthy meals on a tight budget.
- Use as much of the produce as you can.
- Scrub fruits and vegetables like apples, carrots and potatoes firmly but don’t peel.
- Use produce that is starting to get old in creative ways.
- Sauté greens that are beginning to wilt in oil and garlic, or drop them in boiling water, cool quickly and freeze.
- Cook overripe fruit in a pot with some cinnamon and a little water. Add cooked fruit to hot cereal or yogurt.
- Freeze overripe fruit to make smoothies or fruit sauce another day.
Make Produce Part of Your Routine
- Add colorful foods to your plate. Include green leafy vegetables, such as romaine lettuce, collard greens or kale. Try orange vegetables, such as carrots or sweet potatoes. Red vegetables, such as tomatoes and red peppers, are also a good choice.
- Brighten up your plate with colorful fruits and vegetables at every meal.
- For breakfast, add fruit to hot or cold cereal or unsweetened yogurt, or make a smoothie with leafy greens and frozen fruit. You can also put vegetables on your eggs or toast.
- For lunch or dinner, add vegetables to soups, stews or sauces. You can also put vegetables in sandwiches or casseroles, or on top of tacos, pizzas and pita bread.
- Make fruit your dessert. Try baking an apple or pear with cinnamon and a touch of butter.
Prepare Produce Safely
- Rinse fresh produce under running water, including those with skins and rinds that are not eaten. Remove outer surfaces such as lettuce leaves before eating. Scrub firm produce with a clean produce brush. Do not clean produce with soap, sanitizer, disinfectant or any other chemical.
- Wipe down the lids of canned goods before opening.
- Keep produce away from raw meats, poultry or seafood. Use separate cutting utensils and preparation surfaces. Wash surfaces, cutting boards, dishes and cooking utensils with hot soapy water after each use.
- Regularly clean and sanitize kitchen counters. Make a sanitizing solution by adding 4 teaspoons of unscented liquid chlorine bleach and 4 cups of water to a spray bottle. Do not use this mixture on produce.