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National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
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National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Home | About Us | Site Map | Topic Index | Contact Us |
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Color Your Way to 5 A Day One or more documents on this Web page is available in Portable Document Format (PDF). You will need Acrobat Reader (a free application) to view and print these documents.
More Color More Health
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The following are research studies related to this group:
There are thousands of health promoting phytochemicals found in plants.
Research is just beginning to understand how they work to improve health,
so it's important to eat a wide variety of colorful orange/yellow, red,
green, white, and blue/purple vegetables and fruit every day. By eating
vegetables and fruit from each color group, you will benefit from the
unique array of phytochemicals, as well as essential vitamins, minerals,
and fiber that each color group has to offer alone and in combination.
The best way to include a variety of foods is to eat vegetables and fruits of various colors. Eating a variety of colorful vegetables and fruits is an easy way to achieve the 5 to 9 a day goal. Keep in mind, 5 servings is the minimum, but strive for 5 to 9 servings a day.
For breakfast try an omelet loaded with onions and other veggies. Try adding onions on your salad, in your sandwich, or putting chives on your baked potato for lunch. Salsa made with garlic and onion added to chopped tomatoes, herbs and spices is a great tasty snack served with baked low-fat chips. For dinner try the baked onion recipe below. When cooking or stir-frying include onion, leeks and garlic with you vegetables.
The 5 A Day Partnership encourages all Americans to eat 5 to 9 servings
of vegetables and fruit a day to promote and improve health and reduce
risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. For additional information on
the 5 A Day For Better Health Program and Partnership, visit
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/5ADay/index.htm
http://www.5aday.gov
http://www.5aday.org
Baked Onions
Makes 4 servings
Each serving equals two 5 A Day.
This is an easy and fat-free way to enjoy the sweet taste of onions.
Ingredients
4 medium sweet onions
¾ cup water
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. arrowroot or cornstarch
2 tsp. water
Preheat oven to 350° F. Peel the onions. Place them side by side into a small casserole. Pour the water and balsamic vinegar over and around the onions, and bake for 2 hours. When softened, thicken remaining juices with arrowroot or cornstarch mixture. Serve onions with the sauce.
This is an official 5 a day recipe, and provides four people with two servings of vegetables each.
Nutrition information per serving: Calories 57, Protein 1g, Fat 0g, Calories From Fat 3%, Cholesterol 0mg, Carbohydrates 13g, Fiber 2g, Sodium 9mg.
Onion Salsa
Salad
Makes 6 servings
Each serving equals one 5 A Day serving.
Source: Plantation Produce Company
This zesty dish adds flavor and nutrients to any meal. This is an official 5 A Day recipe-provided by Plantation Produce Co.-and gives six people more than one serving of vegetables each.
Ingredients
1 cup diced onions
1 small can diced pimento
½ cup green onion
¼ cup fresh jalapeno, chopped (optional)
8 ounces black eye peas
1 cup bell peppers, diced
1 ounce fresh garlic, chopped
¼ cup Italian dressing
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all items. Let marinate overnight for best flavor. Serve as a side dish or as an appetizer with low fat crackers.
Nutrition information per serving: Calories 73, Protein 4g, Fat 6g, Calories From Fat 5%, Cholesterol 0mg, Carbohydrates 14g, Fiber 4g, Sodium 267mg.
Roasted Garlic and Green Pea Pasta Sauce
Makes 4 servings
Each serving equals one 5 A Day serving.
Source: National Cancer Institute
Use roasted garlic as a background for this smooth, delicious green pea sauce.
Ingredients
1 head garlic or 8 cloves jarred garlic
1 pound frozen peas (2 cups)
1 cup nonfat evaporated milk
¼ tsp. salt
2 tsp. grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. chopped parsley
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut off the stem end of the head of garlic exposing the cloves inside. Wrap in foil and bake in the preheated oven 1 hour or until very soft. Unwrap and allow to cool. Or use 8 cloves of jarred garlic.
Drop the peas into boiling water and cook 2 minutes. Drain and toss into a blender. Squeeze the garlic head toward the cut end to collect all the soft flesh. Add to the peas in the blender along with the evaporated milk and salt. Blend until smooth.
Push through a sieve and reheat. Serve over pasta with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley on top.
Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories 83, Protein 6g, Fat 0g, Calories Of Fat 2%, Cholesterol 0mg, Carbohydrates 14g, Fiber 3g, Sodium 190mg.
*Links to non-Federal organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. Links do not constitute an endorsement of any organization by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at this link.
Eating
White Vegetables Ensures Getting The Essential Vitamins, Minerals, Fiber
& Phytochemicals That This Color Group Has To Offer