Healthful eating is never so easy as it is in the spring. With fresh fruits and vegetables flourishing, you only need minimal preparation to bring out maximum flavor. From salads to sides, entres to desserts, here is a collection of our wholesome springtime favorites. Fresh fruits and vegetables are healthy in part because they contain phytochemicals, or beneficial compounds, such as beta-carotene, folate, and lycopene, which aid in the prevention of cancer. There is truth to the old "apple a day" adage, though this time of year, think seasonally and make it a "strawberry" or "artichoke" a day.... Beyond having weight-watching benefits, a diet plentiful in fruits and vegetables decreases your risk of stroke and heart attack, helps lower blood pressure, and even guards against eye disease. Spring favorites asparagus and artichokes are often associated with rich, luxurious menus, but they're also incredibly healthy: They are both excellent sources of fiber and contain a host of nutrients, including vitamins C, K, and folate. "Asparagus is a particularly well-rounded vegetable, nutritionally speaking," says Monica Reinagel, chief nutritionist for our sister site NutritionData.com, writing in Epicurious and NutritionData's joint newsletter Healthy Dinner Tonight. "It's high in antioxidants A, C, and E, as well as vitamin K (for healthy bones), and has an array of B vitamins for energy." Eat plenty of green leafy vegetables, at least two to three servings every day. They are loaded with the absorbable calcium, iron, and many vitamins that children need. Have plenty of other vegetables, too, selecting the freshest organic vegetables at a farmer’s market or a local garden or, if you can, grow your own. It helps to offer more than one vegetable at a meal and to avoid pushing children to eat vegetables they do not care for. Overall, vegetables should make up 25 to 30 percent of the diet. For more details visit www.indomunch.com
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