by Elizabeth Pivonka, Ph.D., R.D., Produce for Better Health (NAPSA)—Eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables is a fun and tasty way to help children achieve a healthy weight. With nearly four million children ages 6 to 11 overweight or obese, discovering ways to include more fruits and vegetables every day isa top priority. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Amerieans recommends eating more fruits aL and vegetables, combined, than any other food group. Oranges for examPivonka ————- ple, are a real kid pleaser, and easy to incorporate into meals and snacks throughout the day. These nutrient-dense whole fruits are low in calories and an excellent source of vitamin C andfiber. Moderately active children 4 to 6 years old should aim for 3 to 3% cups of fruits and vegetables a day. Teaching children to choose fruits and vegetables from each of the 5 color groups: blue/purple, green, white, yellow/orange, and red is an easy way to help them learn about variety. Choosing an orange instead of chips or cookies can save 100-200 calories a day which can translate into 10 to 20 pounds in a year. For a snack after school, serving Fun Fruit Kabobs can be down right fun (and nutritious too). For more information and recipes visit www.sunkist.com and www.daday.org. i @ Oranges can be a sweet wayfor kids to get their “5 a day.” Fun Fruit Kabobs % Sunkist lemon 1 each bananaandapple, cut into chunks 1 Sunkist orange 4 Sunkist strawberries 4 skewers with round ends % cup each chocolate pudding, raspberry yogurt, and candy sprinkles Grate zest from lemon and orange; set aside. Squeeze lemon juice over banana and apple chunks to prevent browning. Peel orange and divide into segments. Thread all fruits on skewers. Mix pudding with orange zest. Mix yogurt with lemon zest. Place pudding, yogurt and sprinkles in bowls. Dip, decorate and enjoy. Serves4. Nutritional Information per serving:calories: 197, total fat: 4.5g, saturated fat: 2.32, % calories from fat: 20%, % calories from saturated fat: 10%, protein: 3.7g, carbohydrates: 38g, cholesterol: 6.7mg, dietary fiber: 3g, sodium: 63mg. Note to Editors: Eighty-fourth in a@xeries of monthly 5-A-Day columns. More stories at www.napsnet.com and search: “Pivonka.”
