Studies suggest that eating a diet that contains lots of fresh fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and certain cancers. It also helps you manage your calories which helps you attain your weight goals.
Which fruits and vegetables are the best choices depend on the season, but for spring the best choices are strawberries, pineapple, spinach, broccoli and mustard greens, which are in season and because they are in season, they can be found at the best price.
· Strawberries offer great flavor while only having 46 calories and costs 89 cents. This fruit offers protection from breast, skin, bladder, esophageal and lung cancers.
· Pineapple One cup of pineapple contains 82 calories and costs 70 cents. This fruit is fat-free, low in sodium and rich in vitamin C. If you know how to cut a whole pinapple, it is the best buy ( look on line for photos on how tocut them with little waste).
· Spinach As you can tell from my food diary, I LOVE SPINACH! I love it cooked in eggs, rw in salads and sauted for dinner. One cup of raw spinach contains 7 calories and costs 52 cents. I buy my organic spinach at a warehouse store so it saves me money. Spinach is high in fiber, folate and antioxidants that may protect the body from cancers of the mouth, pharynx and larynx.
· Mustard Greens One cup of mustard greens cooked without salt or added fats contains 21 calories and costs 81 cents. An alternative to spinach, mustard greens offer the same cancer-fighting properties. Look for recipes on line, and know that if one preparation wasn’t to your liking, try another.
· Broccoli One cup of chopped broccoli cooked without salt contains 30 calories and costs 63 cents. This vegetable is packed with folate, fiber and antioxidants that may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. Brocolli can be added to salads, lunch boxes, stir fry’s, wraps and soups.
· Green beans are low calorie and loved by most. There are 34 calories in 1 cup with 4grams of fiber. They are great for a mid-morning snack, on salads, in stir fry and sautéed with sliced almonds.
http://www.cincinnati.md/oh/cincinnati/con-article/663643/fruit%20juice%20dangers/here_are_fruits_veggies_that_offer_best_bang_for_your_buck.htm
I love that you can eat so much volume of vegetables for the same calorie count as junk food with a much higher nutritional content. That’s the best argument to include fruits and vegetables into your daily food plan!
Workout Diary 04/24/12: Tuesday
pliometrics DVD- 45 minutes
Pure Barre class- 55 minutes
Food Diary 04/24/12: Tuesday
Breakfast-
1 cup egg whites, 1 cup spinach (130 cal.)
Ezekial toast, 1.5 tbls organic almond butter (200 cal)
A.M. Snack-
1 cup green beans, 1 cup red peppers (67 cal)
Lunch-
4 oz Mahi mahi (85 cal)
soft taco shells, grilled zuchinni, onions, cherry tomato, Greek yogurt, salsa (195 cal.)
1 apple ( 57 cal)
P.M. Snack-
1 cup protein cereal, 1/4 cup non-fat milk(210 cal)
1/2 cup strawberries( 30 cal)
Dinner-
4 oz strip steak (180 cal)
3/4 cup pureed steamed cauliflower( 50 cal)
1 cup organic brown/wild rice, mushrooms (200 cal)
1 cup vegetable soup, homemade (low-salt vegetable stock, green beans, garlic, onions, carrots, 3 oz brown rice, pea pods, brocolli slaw- 3/4 cup (130 cal)
Dessert-
1 whole wheat waffle, 1 tbls organic almond butter( 220 cal)
TOTAL CALORIES-1693
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