Eating more fruits and vegetables daily helps you control your weight and reduce your risk of chronic illness. The USDA Food Guide Pyramid recommends eating a minimum of 5 ½-cup servings of vegetables daily and 3 ½-cup servings of fruits daily. Choosing a variety of produce exposes you to an array of nutrients and tastes. Boring salads and celery sticks are not your only options. Create interesting, flavorful meals around fruits and vegetables that are both healthy and delicious.
Features
Dishes that include fruits and vegetables are usually one-pot or casserole types. Soups, chilies, pasta bakes and stir fries are a few examples. Healthy dishes that include fruit might feature stewed dried fruit, salsas or compotes. Ethnic cuisines, such as Indian, Thai and Moroccan, use ample fruits and vegetables as the base of curries and stews. You can use fruits and vegetables in dishes to replace some starch or cheese, reducing the overall calorie content and adding nutrients.
Considerations
Choosing whole, unprocessed fruits and vegetables most of the time provides you with the healthiest options. Frozen vegetables with sauce, canned fruits and juices often contain added sodium, fat or sugar. Canned fruits and juices are missing much of the fiber and nutrients found in the whole options.
Vegetable Dishes
Vegetables may be divided into five subgroups, all which could be featured in a healthy dish. Dark green vegetables, such as broccoli and spinach, may be used in vegetable lasagnas or baked rigatoni with tomato sauce and low-fat mozzarella and ricotta cheese. Other dark greens, such as romaine and watercress, form the base of a dinner salad with chopped egg and a lemon juice and olive oil dressing. Starchy vegetables, such as corn or potatoes, can form the basis of a healthy fish chowder made with low-fat milk and fresh herbs. Orange vegetables, including butternut squash and carrots, make comforting soups, or they can replace some starch in casseroles or soups. Dry beans and peas work well in vegetarian chilies. Other vegetables, namely peppers, green beans and asparagus, may be stir-fried with lean proteins, such as shrimp or chicken, to create a healthy vegetable-rich dish.
Ideas for Fruit
Healthy dishes featuring fruit might be as simple as grilled meat with a fresh fruit salsa. Mix together diced mango with jalapeno, red onion, grape tomatoes and lime juice to serve over tilapia, or try diced pineapple with cilantro, red onion and ginger on lean pork tenderloin. Cook boneless, skinless chicken breast with onions, garlic, cumin, cinnamon and dried prunes and serve over whole wheat couscous for a Moroccan-style meal. Fruits also feature in breakfast meals -- add blueberries to whole grain pancakes served with applesauce and non-fat yogurt. Make a hot cereal with cooked quinoa, chopped dried apricots and dates; or create a strata by layering whole grain bread with slices of low-sodium, lean ham, thinly sliced apple and shredded, low-fat cheddar cheese and topping with eggs beaten with low-fat milk and a touch of brown sugar.
Misconceptions
Just because a dish is vegetarian or contains fruit does not automatically make it healthy. Eggplant Parmesan, in which the eggplant slices are breaded and fried and often doused in generous portions of full-fat cheese, contains a high number of calories and artery-clogging saturated fat. To create healthy dishes featuring fruits and vegetables, you must still use healthy-cooking techniques and minimize added fats, while practicing portion control.
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