Summer brings garden-fresh fruits, vegetables, and great opportunities to eat healthily. The American Heart Association recommends we eat at least 4½ cups of fruit and or vegetables every day. This ensures we get enough fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.
Growing your own vegetables allows you to choose varieties that you can’t find in supermarkets. Fresh produce in the grocery store is often picked and shipped before it is ripe, so it won’t be overripe when it arrives.
Eating raw, fresh produce is a treat of summer. Many may believe raw produce is healthier than cooked, frozen or canned. This is true when it comes to vitamins and some of the B vitamins that are lost during cooking.
Fruits and vegetables are healthy whether they are raw or cooked. Summer provides a precious opportunity to eat fresh, raw produce at peak ripeness and ultimate flavor. Try this Summer Tomato, Onion and Cucumber Salad. Cut up some fresh vegetables and eat them with Creamy Spinach Dip, made with fresh garden spinach.
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