All about the rainbow flavors

Nutrition is not just all about cutting from our daily diet, its also about bringing in new flavors and tastes into our life. Fruits play an important role in our diet. Most fruits are naturally low in fat, sodium, and calories. None have cholesterol. Ranging from vitamins to minerals, antioxidants to calcium sources, they play an important role in our diet.

• Fruits are sources of many essential nutrients that are under-consumed, including potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin C, and folate (folic acid).

• Diets rich in potassium may help to maintain healthy blood pressure. Fruit sources of potassium include bananas, prunes and prune juice, dried peaches and apricots, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, and orange juice.

• Dietary fiber from fruits, as part of an overall healthy diet, helps reduce blood cholesterol levels and may lower risk of heart disease. Fiber is important for proper bowel function. It helps reduce constipation and diverticulitis. Fiber-containing foods such as fruits help provide a feeling of fullness with fewer calories. Whole or cut-up fruits are sources of dietary fiber; fruit juices contain little or no fiber.

• Vitamin C is important for growth and repair of all body tissues, helps heal cuts and wounds, and keeps teeth and gums healthy.

• Fol-ate (folic acid) helps the body form red blood cells. Women of childbearing age who may become pregnant should consume adequate folate from foods, and in addition 400 mcg of synthetic folic acid from fortified foods or supplements. This reduces the risk of neural tube defects, spina bifida, and anencephaly during fetal development.

Health benefits

• As part of an overall healthy diet, eating foods such as fruits that are lower in calories per cup instead of some other higher-calorie food may be useful in helping to lower calorie intake.

• Eating a diet rich in vegetables and fruits as part of an overall healthy diet may reduce risk for heart disease, including heart attack and stroke.

• Eating a diet rich in some vegetables and fruits as part of an overall healthy diet may protect against certain types of cancers.

• Adding fruit can help increase intake of fiber and potassium which are important nutrients that many Americans do not get enough of in their diet.

• Adding en amount of fruits to our daily meals, whether into our breakfast or our evening snacks is very important. They provide the most minute nutrients tat our body need for growth and a healthy organs.