VEGGIES AND VITAMIN A Notes By Ann Stevenson

Servings  How many servings of vegetables should the average person have every day?  cups  How many servings of fruit should the average person have every day?  1 – 2 ½ cups

Serving Sizes  Vegetable Serving Sizes 1 cup leafy ½ cup cooked or chopped fresh ¾ cup juice  Fruit Serving Sizes 1 medium fruit ½ cup chopped raw, cooked, canned ¾ cup juice (Only 100% juice counts!!)

Fruit and Vegetable definitions  Formal definition Fruit – mature ovaries of plants(seeds) Vegetable – all edible parts of plants excluding the fruit  Consumer definition Fruit – succulent plant materials which taste tart/sweet (seeds) Vegetable – edible plant tissues which don’t taste tart/sweet

 A vegetable is an edible plant which does not taste tart or sweet.  It can come from many different parts of the plant. What is a Vegetable? We will use the consumer definition.

For example:

What nutrients do they contain?  Most are low in calories and fat.  High in vitamins – especially A and C A and C

Vitamin A  Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin.  Because excess can be stored in fat you need only to eat a good source every other day.  There is a pigment in orange, dark yellow and dark green vegetables that is called Carotene. Your body uses half of it to make Vitamin A and discards the other half.

What does Vitamin A do?  It helps your eyes with night vision and adjustment.  Essential in cell formation and stimulates growth.

 It is the “ beauty ” vitamin…Helps to give shiny hair, smooth skin, etc.

History of Vitamin A  First vitamin actually discovered. During the war children in Denmark were having trouble with their vision. Doctor thought it might be related to diet. Did some experiments with rats. Found that adding fat to their diet cured their vision problems. (Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin Denmark had been selling the cream (or fat) off their milk to other countries to help finance the war effort. Putting the cream back into the milk cured the children.

ALSO…Night blindness Fishermen off the coast of Newfoundland were having trouble with night blindness. Night blindness is a condition where your eye does not produce enough visual purple for you to see in the dark. The fishermen found that when they ate the livers of the fish they were catching their night blindness was cured. There is vitamin A in Cod liver oil.

Good Sources of Vitamin A Fruits and veggies that are bright orange, bright yellow, or dark green  Tomatoes  Carrots  Spinach  Sweet potatoes  Cantaloupe  Broccoli

BUYING AND COOKING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Selection  Make sure they are crisp and fresh looking  Buy a good quality  Heavy and firm  No marks or bruises  Buy what you can use in 2 – 7 days  Refrigerate them except the bulb vegetables  Wash them just before using. Do not soak them  Handle carefully  Remove any spoilage and Storage

Selecting and Preparing Fruits and Vegetables  What does it mean if a fruit is seasonal?  Grown and harvested during a certain season.  Why is it a good reason to buy seasonal fruits in season?  Lower cost, plentiful, and quality is better  How long will most fruit last after it is picked?  1 week  What are some ways to preserve fruits?  Jam, jelly, canned, syrup, juice, and frozen

Selecting and Preparing Fruits and Vegetables  Where should potatoes and onions be stored?  Room temperature in a very dark and dry place  Why is it important to wash vegetables and fruits before eating them?  Wash off pesticides and waxes  Why do most fruits turn brown when they are cut?  Oxidation or enzymatic browning  How can you prevent fruit from turning brown after it is cut?  Dip them in a citrus juice or liquid with ascorbic acid

Cooking (to retain nutrition)  Remember the three R’s 1. Reduce surface or air (Larger pieces mean less area exposed to the air.) 2. Reduce water 3. Reduce amount of heat and amount of time cooked.

Methods of cooking  Boil-lose lots of nutrients to water  Steam – reduces water  Bake – reduces water, reduces air  Stir Fry – reduces heat, reduces water, increases air  Saute’ – reduces water, increases air  Fry (Pan or Deep) reduces water  Microwave - reduces water, reduces heat (time) The best ways to cook veggies and retain nutrients are microwaving, stir frying, and baking.

A WELL-COOKED VEGETABLE -  Tender but crisp texture  Vivid color  Good flavor  Full of nutrients