Mesage of the Day - Tuesday Jan 15

January 15, 2002

FIELDS OF MIRACLES 1/15/2002

The American Heart Association just came out and said that fewer than 1 in 4

Americans eat the proper amounts of fruits and vegetables daily. Are you one

of those people?

I always talk about produce. I can remember as a child going to the farmer`s

market in the French Quarter and seeing the most beautifully shaped

vegetables and colors that always surprised me. My parents would load up on

fresh fruits and vegetables once a week. My mother was a vegetarian for 9

years. She had a great love affair with these little miracles that come from

fields.

Most Americans use fruits and vegetables as accessories. There is parsley on

the plate next to the steak. There is iceberg lettuce with tomatoes on the

BLT. Fruit is usually hidden in a pie, and it shows up once in a while in

assorted ice creams.

Things have to change if people want to be healthier! The American Heart

Association continues and says Americans should have 5 servings of fruit and

5 servings of vegetables daily. Goodness, it seems like so much, doesn`t it?

How can you even imagine eating that much in one day? If you cut back a

little on the protein and starch that you`re eating, you will have room, I

promise!

What are my secrets? I`ve always touted the benefits of salads. Last night I

took string beans, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and I halfway steamed

them so that they stayed real crisp. I then put them in the refrigerator to

cool. I then took a bunch of fresh spinach and cleaned it well. Then I

chopped all the vegetables and made a spinach chopped vegetable salad with

an olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing. Now the way to get all your

vegetables in is by making that delicious vegetable soup that I know you

know how to make.

As far as the fruit is concerned, why not have a sliced fruit salad for

lunch a couple of days a week? Start your morning with fresh fruit like a

crispy Washington state red apple, and then maybe have some grapes or a pear

for snacks.

Each piece of produce is a miracle for the body with so many vitamins and

minerals that you can`t get anywhere else, so do a little grazing today,

will ya`? If you have any fruit and vegetable recipes you want to share, go

to the community center and click on submit recipes.

Love,

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