will ake sale next uct v4 Eerie! eon thi ne: nd Une an te ie‘Rill a nducted aL will apmve on wi an ily ancl ace cack] Klay nbs “an hong an ad st nt ws ey SS eo mwa“ ea mm Mes, 7Ainva Atea ines “wn “Soy uct Totnes Nae ad wed “Avoid TWinter Slump by Elizabeth Pivonka, Ph.D., President, Produce for Better Health Foundation (NAPSA)—T good news is that eating lots of fruits and vegetables can lp prevent many of t nation’s most deadly and debilitating diseases. T bad newsis that less than 75 percent of Americans eat t minimum five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Children miss t 5 A Day mark by more than one-anda-half servings a Elizabeth Pivonka day. We have t proverbial “silver bullet” and don’t take full advantage of it. Simply adding a fruit snack and a small salad every day to t diets of children would put tm over t 5 A Daygoal. According to t U.S. Department of Agriculture, Americans eat t most fruit in t summer. But even at our best we eat only 54 percent of t recommended servings of fruit. During t winter, fruit consumption slips to a record low 44 percent of t recommendedservings, and 15 to 18 year olds are amongt lowest. Boys eat just 29 percent andgirls 34 percent of t fruit recommended by t Food Guide Pyramid during t winter months. This winter slump probably hasits roots in a time wn supplies of summer fruit ended with t U.S. growing season. In our growing global marketplace, countries like Chile—whose seasons are opposite ours—lp provide us with a year-round supply of fruits and vegetables unmatcd by any nation in t world. Chilean dark, sweet crries are in U.S. markets from November until t end of January, and Chile’s blueberries and red raspberries are available late in Novemberuntil t end of May. Raspberries, blueberries and crries contain powerful antioxidant phytonutrients that studies suggest may prevent coronary artery disease and certain cancers. Antioxidants lp prevent disease by mopping upt celldamaging free radicals that t body produces as it converts food into energy. Sweet crries, blueberries and raspberries are also good sources of fiber and vitamin C. A one-cup serving of raspberries has about one third of t recommended daily intakeoffiber. ~~. : a @ This delicious parfait can be enjoyed all year long, thanks to fruit from Chile. But most importantly, t wonderful taste of fresh sweet crries and berries from Chile are a sure way to beat t winter slump and hit t 5 A Day for Better Health goal. Try this Crry Berry Parfait. It’s so good even a fussy teenager will come back for seconds. Crry Berry Parfait Makes 4 servings 1 cup fresh sweet Chilean crries 1 cup choppedfresh or canned pineapple 1 cup fresh Chilean raspberries or blueberries 1 cup low-fat vanilla or lemon yogurt 1 medium banana,sliced % cup chopped dates \% cup sliced, toasted almonds Set aside 4 whole Chilean crries. Remove t pits and slice t remaining crries in half. In stemmed glasses, layer t crries, pineapple, raspberries, yogurt, banana and dates. Sprinkle t almonds on top and garnish with a whole sweetcrry. Nutrients per serving: Calories 208; Protein 5g; Fat 4g; Calories from Fat 18 percent; Carbohydrate 41g; Cholesterol 4mg; Fiber 4e; Sodium 39mg. For more information on fresh fruit from Chile and t 5 A Day for Better Health program, go to: www.cffa.org, www.5aday.com and www.aboutproduce.com. wo wen nee eee eee e eee n nee e eeeSe Note to Editors: Thirty-ninth in a series of monthly 5-A-Day columns. Chilean crries are in U.S. markets from November until t end of January; Chilean blueberries and red raspberries, from November until t end of May.
