Try A New Fruit or Vegetable This Month

When it comes to nutrition, fruits and vegetables are a great pair. They have vitamins and minerals that are needed to keep us healthy. However, it can be easy to get stuck buying the same foods over and over again. Trying new fruits and vegetables is an important part of healthy diet! 
Why should I try a new fruit or vegetable? All fruits and vegetables provide healthy nutrients. However, foods of different colors have different nutrients. Be sure to eat a rainbow of foods. 

• Try red peppers, yellow squash, or green spinach. This will help you get a balance of nutrients.
• Red foods have vitamins that help your heart.
• Orange foods keep your eyes healthy.
• Yellow foods have nutrients that keep you from getting sick.
• Green foods have vitamins to keep your bones healthy.
• Blue foods help your brain and improve your memory.

Trying new fruits and vegetables also keeps you from being bored with the same meals week after week. Adding new foods into your diet can make meal times exciting! Your family can look forward to the new foods on the table each week.

Here are some easy ways to get different fruits and vegetables into your diet:

• Make a Goal. Try one new fruit or vegetable each week. Go to the grocery store with your kids to pick them out.
• Try it Frozen. Uncommon fruits or vegetables are sometimes found in the frozen section of the grocery store. Frozen fruits and vegetables have the same amount of nutrients as fresh ones. Frozen foods usually cost less too! Look for frozen okra, mango, collard greens, and more.
• Look for Colors. Pick a color! Try a new fruit or vegetable of that color. Next week, pick a new color to try.  
• Recipe Fun! Look up recipes for fun, new ideas. 
• Look for coupons to save money. 
• Visit our Eat Smart website and type in a fruit or vegetable that you want to try and find a recipe with that food in it.

There are so many fruits and vegetables out there to try and lots of ways to prepare them. Try adding beans into your diet with this easy black bean and corn salsa recipe. Keep your family healthy and happy by adding produce to your meals each day!

Source: http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/bored-try-something-new

Recipe: https://www.eatsmart.umd.edu/recipe/black-bean-and-corn-salsa