The 3 benefits of the Color of Vegetables discussed here expand to much more. However, to simplify, let's categorize the benefits of the color of vegetables into three broad categories: (post contains affiliate links)
1) Minerals
2) Vitamins
3) Phytonutrients
(This post contains affiliate links).
I. Color Provides Minerals
The four main minerals in vegetables are magnesium, potassium, manganese, and iron.
Magnesium protects against depression and prevents excess blood clots. It also helps the body digest nutrients, and builds strong bones.
Green vegetables include broccoli, spinach, zucchini, asparagus, and cucumber.
Potassium
Potassium and sodium are important for fluid regulation in the cells. When there is enough potassium in the diet, sodium and potassium are in balance. This regulates the amount of fluid your cells hold. However, if not enough potassium is eaten, water retention occurs.
For example, excess water in the cells causes the heart and kidneys to work harder. Sufficient potassium in the diet will fight against high blood pressure and protect the heart and kidneys.
Potassium rich vegetables include potatoes, including sweet potatoes, beet greens, swiss chard, and lima beans.
Manganese
The benefits of manganese include prevention of Epileptic seizures. In addition, manganese helps control blood sugar levels in Diabetics. Manganese is also important for healthy bones and protects against bone fractures.
Vegetables rich in manganese include lima beans, lentils, and green leafy vegetables.
Iron
Iron has been discussed previously. However, it is an important mineral in the formation of healthy red blood cells and for preventing anemia.
Lentils, spinach, chick peas (garbanzo beans), and collard greens are all high in iron. See below for my delicious Lentil Stew recipe.
II. Color Provides Vitamins
Vitamins A, C, B6, and Folate are four vitamins that are abundant in all vegetables, regardless of color.
Vitamin A
Deficiency of vitamin A results in dry skin, eczema, dry eyes, and night blindness. Also, vitamin A deficiency is associated with acne, stunted growth, and infertility.
Vegetables high in vitamin A include kale, pumpkin, carrots, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes.
Vitamin C
As mentioned previously, vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that fights infection and protects skin cells from sun damage. As a result, deficiency of vitamin C results in scurvy, poor wound healing, reduced immunity.
Vegetables high in vitamin C include broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, and bell pepper
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is essential for protein metabolism and healthy nerve function. Also, vitamin B6 is important in forming red blood cells.
Foods rich in vitamin B6 include carrots and spinach.
Folate
Protects against Birth Defects
III. Color Provides Unique Phytonutrients
I have written previously about phytonutrients. So, I don't want to bore you here. Just a quick summary with a link to the original post will suffice, I hope. 🙂
Lycopene
Lycopenes are found in tomatoes, red bell peppers, beets, and other red vegetables. Click here to read more.
Anthocyanins are found in blue, purple and red vegetables. One interesting tidbit I didn't mention previously is that the anthocyanins change color depending on the pH of the food. For example, science experiments on acid and base result in red cabbage changing color.
Chlorophyll
The fact that chlorophyll is the basis for the green in plants and that it has magnesium at the center of its molecule fascinates me. Read more about chlorophyll here.
Green vegetables include avocado, asparagus, broccoli, spinach, green beans, and green peas.
Anthoxanthins are antioxidants and are found in white/colorless/brown vegetables. So, expect anthoxanthins to be in garlic, onion, mushrooms, parsnips, turnips, radishes, and lentils.
As most of you know, I'm working on education materials. I am designing these materials to help you more easily communicate to your kids the importance of eating fruits and vegetables.
I'm also hoping these materials will help you and your kids meet educational standards requirements. So far, I've produced pre-k to kindergarten fruit color matching and vegetable color matching. When I am finished, there will be something for all ages!
People have been asking me what they should be feeding their kids who have ADHD. One of the major things you want to try to achieve is a balanced diet.
What I mean by this is, regular meals and healthy snacks, sufficient protein, calcium and iron, and as natural as possible. So, I have put together three healthy alternatives for picky eaters to help make transitions easier.
Three Healthy Alternatives for Picky Eaters
Most kids love macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, and don't like vegetables much. This “problem” is exacerbated when the child will only eat macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets and won't eat vegetables. OR when all they are eating is boxed macaroni and cheese and frozen processed chicken nuggets.
This is often the case for children with autism, ADHD, and sensory processing difficulties. As a result, I have looked for and found three healthy alternatives for picky kids, that hopefully won't be too time consuming or difficult to make. Especially because you can double the recipes and serve as leftovers and/or freeze for a later time.
It's kind of a “Instead of this, Eat that,” scenario.
Healthy Alternatives for Picky Eaters Number 1
Hiding vegetables in sauce by pureeing the sauce and vegetables together.
I discovered a recipe “Hidden Veggie Mac and Cheese” a couple of months ago through Pinterest. We finally made the recipe (I had previously posted the recipe from the website–THIS IS AN UPDATE).
I decided after thinking about it for a few months that this recipe would probably not be successful because of the cauliflower and butternut squash. Our son hates cauliflower, and the texture of squash is just too much for him.
I evaluated the nutrition facts on MyFitnessPal.com last night, after my husband made the macaroni and cheese and my son loved it.
The vitamin A in each serving is increased from about 7% to over 40% from our original homemade macaroni and cheese. This with only 1/2 cup of carrots. I would've liked to add more to the recipe but didn't want to overdo it because my son is so picky.
My son likes macaroni and cheese in all forms, except I have had a tough time recently getting him to accept whole wheat pasta with his cheese. My solution to this problem is to use lentil pasta. This is perfect for those of you who are gluten-free or who are trying to reduce the amount of wheat in your diet.
Lentil pasta is super high in protein, and an excellent source of iron, folate, magnesium, and fiber.
When I cook lentil pasta, I usually cook it a little longer than the package directions say. This is because it doesn't taste as good al dente, and my son complains unless it's just right–past al dente state.
Personally, I think we all could benefit from eating a wider variety of grains and legumes. In fact, I've recently been scratching my head wondering when did we start eating only wheat pasta and bread?
He likes this better than the original mac and cheese recipe
Healthy Alternatives for Picky Eaters Number 2
Making Cream of Fresh Vegetable Soups.
This is one I've been using successfully for years.
Broccoli, carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms all make excellent pureed cream soups. And there are others as well. However, my son likes the broccoli soup the best, especially if I add cheese. (Can anyone say, “Cheese Sauce?”)
Processed chicken nuggets…Not only are they expensive, but most of them are filled with artificial stuff and preservatives galore. Plus, they are high in sodium. So, making homemade chicken nuggets (or tenders if you prefer), is a fantastic way to ensure you child is getting enough protein in their diet. The recipe below can be doubled or tripled, or even cut in half, and the rest can be frozen for future use.
Homemade Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients
2 pounds chicken breast meat (tenders, fillets) cut into 1-inch pieces/squares
I have a picky son who absolutely loves Alfredo Sauce. But traditional Alfredo Sauce is through the roof with fat, saturated fat, and calories. Since he eats so much cheese, I've been concerned about his heart health. Children today are so much less active than they were when I was growing up, and Nathan is no exception. So, I decided to find a reduced fat Alfredo Sauce to try. (Post may contain affiliate links).
I found a recipe for reduced fat Alfredo Sauce online a few months ago.
We tweaked it a bit. It was a hit! In fact, shortly after trying this recipe, I bought regular Alfredo Sauce at the deli of our local grocery store. If you can believe it, Nathan likes my reduced fat version better. So we make it for him quite frequently.
One thing many people don't realize about cheese is that dry Italian cheese has richer flavor, and weighs less by bulk. So a 3/4 cup serving of Romano Pecorino cheese has less calories and fat than 3/4 cup of cheddar cheese, for example. This is one reason why this recipe was actually pretty easy to create.
Although Alfredo sauce is traditionally served with Fettucine, you can add this sauce to different types of pasta to add variety. And it will all taste delicious!
We serve our reduced fat Alfredo sauce with Ravioli, whole grain pasta, and legume pasta. It also tastes delicious on vegetables, such as broccoli, and with chicken and beef. We're still trying to get Nathan used to the idea of eating broccoli, chicken and pasta Alfredo together as one dish. However, he's not going for it–yet.
The good news is that he will eat chicken and broccoli on the side as long as the pasta is in a separate bowl.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as Nathan does. Oh, for comparison.
Delicious, aromatic, and easy. This reduced fat version passes the kid test. You'll be able to serve it with your favorite pasta, meats, and vegetables.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time10 minutesmins
Total Time30 minutesmins
Servings: 4Servings
Calories: 358kcal
Author: Deborah Hanyon, MPH, RDN, ACE-CHC
Ingredients
1tbspButter
1tspminced garlic
1tbspall purpose flouror gluten-free flour of choice
1cup2% reduced fat milk
2 tbspcream cheesesoftened
1/2tsplemon zestgrated, fresh
1tbspparsleyfresh, chopped
3/4cupromano pecorinoor other favorite italian cheese
1dashwhite pepperoptional
1/4tspsaltmay use up to 1/2 tsp
8ozwhole grain pastaor other favorite pasta
Instructions
Melt Butter in saucepan
add garlic and lemon zest; cook until soft, about 1 minute
add in flour, stir
add milk, whisk together until smooth; cook, stirring constantly, at medium temp until thickened and bubbly, about 3 minutes
add cream cheese and romano pecorino cheese;
Note that cream cheese will be difficult to completely mix into the milk; if will taste good even if you see little pieces. However, if you want to combine it until it's creamy, you can use an immersion blender.
In 2016, The United Nations declared Pulses as Superfoods. Four years later, they are still as healthy as ever. And they are also delicious, inexpensive, and easy to cook with.
If you're wondering what a pulse is, and you are also wondering what constitutes a “superfood,” then you've come to the right place.
First of all, a definition. Pulses are the edible seeds of plants in the legume family.
For example,
lentils
green peas
split peas
chickpeas (garbanzos)
Are all pulses.
Also, dried beans including
kidney beans
pintos
and black beans
Are pulses as well.
To put it simply, pulses are legumes (beans and peas), and they are highly nutritious.
Pulses as Superfoods
Why are pulses classified as superfoods? There are at least 10 reasons:
High in Protein, Folate, Iron, Magnesium, and B vitamins
High in Fiber
Easy to Cook With
Promote Sustainable Agriculture
Decrease Greenhouse Gases
Increase Soil Health
Require Less Water than Other Crops
Help with Weight Management
Reduce Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer Risk
Help to Increase Food Security
And pulses are delicious when prepared correctly. Because of their mild taste, they can be integrated into many dishes, even desserts.
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Let me first explain what I mean when I say, “Healthy Christmas Recipes for Kids.”
I know that some of you will look at the ingredient list and your first thought will be, “All of that butter! That's way too much fat to be healthy.” Others might say, “Look at all that sugar, that can't be healthy!” You will be thinking, “Those aren't healthy Christmas recipes for kids.”
Oh But they are!
Let's talk a little a bit about each of the recipes, and why I consider them healthy.
One of the BIGGEST reasons why this recipe is healthy is because it is homemade. Anytime you make a recipe from scratch, you are using fresh ingredients you know and trust. Plus, you aren't using additives or preservatives. There is nothing hidden. There are no long, weird sounding, or unknown ingredients. Thus, homemade, from scratch cooking is ALWAYS more healthy than store-bought, already prepared, processed foods.
Another reason this recipe is healthy is because it's made with whole wheat flour. When you use the whole grain to cook something, you are automatically increasing the fiber content, the magnesium, the vitamin B6, and a whole slew of other good wholesome vitamins and minerals.
So give yourself a hand if you are already using whole grains in your baking products at least SOME of the time!
A third reason why this recipe is a healthy Christmas recipe for kids is because it contains molasses. Molasses is made when cane sugar is processed. Molasses retains all of the nutrients in the original plant. Thus, many people consider molasses to be a superfood.
I'm not sure I'd consider molasses to be a superfood. However, I do know that it is rich in iron, calcium, selenium and a bunch of other good stuff. This is a fact that hardly anyone realizes. Now, you are one of the select few!
A fourth reason this cookie recipe is a healthy Christmas recipe for kids is because you need some fat in your diet. Butter is a source of saturated fat. You need saturated fat for various processes in your body. Thus, unless you are regularly eating excessive amounts of saturated fat (recommendation is <10% total calories average), this should not be a big concern.
Also, contrary to some of the latest trends, carbohydrates are extremely important to good health. The main thing is to try to make half of your carbohydrates come from whole grains. Making homemade, wholesome, from scratch cookies using whole grains is helping you to achieve this.
If you follow the recipe and use the recommended ingredients, you can feel good that you are offering a healthy Christmas recipe for your kids.
I'm just going to briefly mention why this is a BIG improvement health-wise compared to ordinary French toast. Adding bananas to this recipe increases fiber, potassium, magnesium, and vitamin B6. When you swap out the traditional white bread for whole wheat in this recipe, this increases the fiber, magnesium and B6 even more. When you use maple syrup instead of regular pancake syrup, this will increase the calcium and iron.
Overall, a tasty and healthy Christmas recipe for kids!
This one is quick and easy. The cheese is high in protein and calcium. This little snack only has about 40 calories per serving (per reindeer), if you use one wedge of Laughing Cow reduced fat Swiss cheese, two small pretzel twists, 1 small piece of red bell pepper, one slice of olive.
Adding red bell pepper slices on the side will give this tasty treat a HUGE boost of vitamin C. This is because bell pepper is one of the best sources of vitamin C you will find in a vegetable. Red bell peppers are not bitter like green peppers, and they are a tad sweet. I think they're delicious!
Also, I just discovered a flour from Bob's Red Mill that replaces gluten flour without having to add any of the other ingredients often necessary to make gluten-free baked foods taste and act like their glutenous cousins. Bob's is local to our area (Milwaukie, Oregon), and I trust their products. You can also purchase this at Amazon.
Also click here to find information on which foods have gluten.
One easy thing you can do if you are dairy-free is to substitute any regular milk with soy, almond, cashew or coconut. I don't recommend using fat free or reduced fat on the cookies. For the butter, you can use vegetable oil based margarine. Look for one that says, “gluten free” on the label.
I didn't add any decorating recipe or how to with the Molasses Gingerbread. This is because many kids have intolerances or reactions to artificial colors. If you have concerns and/or would like information on natural food colors. Here is a link to help with that.
There also inexpensive products on the market you can use that are free of dyes. Keep in mind when using natural colors that you might not end up with a vibrant red, for example, like you do with artificial colors.
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