The Color of Health by Elizabeth Pivonka, Ph.D., R.D., President, Produce for Better Health Foundation (NAPSA)—People love grapes. Red grapes, green grapes, blue- black grapes—they’re fun to eat as a healthy snack and a perfect addition to salads, appetizers, entrees anddesserts. Even in winter, sweet, juicy grapes can grace your table and frequent your lunch bag. Whenit’s winter here, it’s summer in Chile; and thanks to dedicated growers and the Chilean Fresh 17 Fruit Association, enjoying a colorful array of grapes as Pivonka ———_ part of your 5 to 9 daily servings of fruits and veg- etables is deliciously easy. Three- quarters of a cup of grapes pro- vides about 90 calories, about six percent daily value of potassium, is a good source of vitamin C, and provides an abundance of healthpromoting phytochemicals. These phytochemicals, particularly the flavonoids, are concentrated in grape skins. Flavonoids help fight heart disease by lowering blood cholesterol levels and all varieties of grapes contain flavonoids. Fruits and vegetables contain hundredsof different phytochemicals, so it’s important to eat a var- ied diet each day. To make choosing a variety of fruits and vegetables simple, we’ve identified 5 color groups: red, yellow/orange, white, green, and blue/purple. The goal is to eat at least one serving of fruit and/or vegetable from every group every day. Make our super simple Grapes and Grains salad for din- ner using red grapes from the red group, green grapes from the green group and blue-black grapes from the blue/purple group. Or, instead with some celery and carrots. Thread different colored grapes on skewers with cubes of grilled turkey andslices of red bell pep- per. Choose grapes that are plump, full-colored and firmly attached to the stems. Store unwashed grapes in a plastic bag in the refrigerator; they will keep for up to one week. For more information on fresh fruits and vegetables from Chile and the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association, visit www.cffausa.org. For information about 5 A Day and The Color Way Guide to the Health Benefits of Colorful Fruits and Vegetables, visit the Web site www.d5aday.org and www.about produce.com. Grapes and Grains 2 tablespoonsolive or other vegetableoil 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon orange juice 2 cups cookedbarley (do not overcook) 1% cupsseedless or halved, % Y% % seeded Chilean grapes cup sliced celery cup sliced green onions teaspoonsalt teaspoon pepper In mixing bowl, whisk togetheroil, lemon and orange of grapes, try making it with fresh slices of peach, plum or nectarine juices. Add barley, grapes, celery, and onions, tossing to you’ve got the beginnings of a healthful diet. pepper; chill until serving time. Makes4 servings. for a salad at lunch. Either way Grapes are versatile and their coat. Season with salt and Nutritional information per delightful colors make them a welcome addition to many dishes. serving: calories: 246, total fat: 8.2g, saturated fat: 1.2g, % tall refreshing glass of white grape juice. Stir a handful of 4g, carbohydrates: 42g, cholesterol: Omg, dietary fiber: 8g, Freeze grapes and add them to a grapes into chicken salad along calories from fat: 28%, protein: sodium: 89mg wane eeeGennes Note to Editors: Sixty-seventh in a series of monthly 5-A-Day columns, with morestories featuring fruits and vegetables at www.napsnet.com and search: “Pivonka.”
