by Elizabeth Pivonka, Ph.D., R.D., Produce for Better Health (NAPSA)—Eating a variety of delicious fruits and vegetables every day, as part of a healthydiet, is the best way to enjoy all of the disease-fighting benefits they provide. The 5 A Day Color Way Plan groups fruits and vegetables into 5 color groups—blue/purple, green, white, yellow/orange and red. Since all fruits and vegetables have a unique combination of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytochemicals to offer, eating one to two servings from each color group every day provides the widest health benefit possible. Eating a variety both between and within color groups is key. California Black Ripe Olives are a great VF food to keep stocked DB in the pantry to add to a variety of dishes; Pivonka they are readily available year round, and come S whole, pitted, sliced, chopped or wedged. A memberofthe blue/purple group, California Black Ripe Olives have 25 calories (5 medium olives), and like nuts, contain the “sood” monounsaturated fat and no transfats. Young and old alike love olives. Technicolor Vegetable Saut is a delicious, easy to prepare, recipe that combines fruit and vegetables from four different color groups into a nutrient-rich, color- ful side dish. In addition to vegetable side dishes, olives are tasty additions to eggs, potato pancakes and salads. For your next BBQ, cut up chunksof fruits and vegetables, include whole, pitted California Black Ripe Olives, and lean meats, and let everyone put together his own skewer for grilling. For more recipes and information about California Black Ripe Olives go to www.calolive.org, and for more information about 5 A Day The Color Way, visit www.5aday.org and www.aboutproduce.com. oa hak de a Technicolor Vegetable Saut 4 cup (1 large) red beets, peeled and 1-inch diced 1 cup babycarrots (2-inch pieces), scrubbed 1% cups pattypan squash, ends removed, cut into thin wedges 1% cups green beans,cut into 2%-inch pieces Butter-flavor cooking spray 2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate % teaspoon dry thymeleaves \% teaspoon garlic powder 1 cup California Black Ripe Olives, pitted Steam beets until crisp ten- der, about 5 minutes; set aside. Steam carrots and squash about 3-4 minutes, add green beans and continue steaming just until crisp tender. Coat large nonstick skillet with cooking spray (approx. 3-4 second spray). Add orange juice concentrate, thyme, garlic powder and olives and heat over medium-high heat. Stir in carrot mixture and heat through; sprinkle with beets and serve. Makes 4 servings. Serving suggestion: Serve with roasted chicken. Nutritional Analysis Per Serving: calories: 105, total fat: 4.4g, saturated fat: 0.6g, % calories from fat: 35%, % calories from saturated fat: 5%, protein: 2g, carbohydrates: 16g, cholesterol: Omg, dietary fiber: 5g, sodium: 330mg ee POT eee eee ee Note to Editors: Seventy-ninth in a series of monthly 5-A-Day columns, with more stories featuring fruits and vegetables at www.napsnet.com and search: “Pivonka.”
