5 Ways To Choose Vitamin Rich Orange Vegetables

1. Eat 2 1/2 Cups per Week

The US Department of Health and Human Services and the US Department of Agriculture recommend that adults eat 2 1/2 cups of orange vegetables every week. That's because orange vegetables are a great source of an antioxidant known as beta carotene, minerals like folate and potassium, as well as vitamins A and C. They are also low in fat and high in fiber. Eating orange vegetables will help you feel better and have more energy, and the antioxidants and phytochemicals they contain can also help reduce your risk of developing certain types of cancer.

2. Try Sweet Potato Fries

Many people don't eat 2 1/2 cups of orange vegetables per week, but it's easy to make simple changes in your diet to do so. For example, sweet potatoes are an excellent orange vegetable and one of only a few non-fat foods that contain vitamin E. Substituting a sweet potato for a white potato is an easy way to get a serving of orange vegetables into your dietary plan without making drastic changes. You can even make french fries out of sweet potatoes--just preheat the oven to 400 degrees, spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray, and place sweet potatoes that you've cut into strips on the sheet. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

3. Carrots Are Good for Your Eyes

Carrots are another great orange vegetable that contain lots of beta carotene. This antioxidant converts into vitamin A, which is important for good vision. There are so many ways to eat carrots--raw as a snack food, in soups and stews, and even as a juice or soup.

4. Play With Different Varieties of Squash

Fall is a wonderful time to experiment with squash and pumpkin, but you can eat them in their frozen or canned form throughout the year. Hubbard, butternut and acorn squash are all orange vegetables. To cook squash, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash in half and remove all the seeds. Cut the squash into slices that are 1/2 to 1 inch thick and place them on a cookie sheet that you've sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until the squash is tender.

5. Don't Forget Pumpkin

When you're thinking of orange vegetables, pumpkin might not immediately come to mind. We tend to think of pumpkin in the fall when pumpkin breads and pumpkin pie are everywhere. However, there are other uses for this orange vegetable, including pumpkin soup, pumpkin cheesecake and even pumpkin ravioli.