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Fruits & Vegetables
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Vegetables
Any vegetable or 100% vegetable juice counts as part of the Vegetable Group. Vegetables may be raw or cooked; fresh, frozen, canned, or dried/dehydrated; and may be whole, cut-up, or mashed.
Based on their nutrient content, vegetables are organized into 5 subgroups: dark green; red and orange; beans, peas, and lentils; starchy; and other vegetables.
How many vegetables are needed?
How many vegetables are needed?
The amount of vegetables you need to eat depends on your age, sex, height, weight, and level of physical activity. For women, the amount can also depend on whether you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Find the right amount for you by getting your MyPlate Plan. For general recommendations by age, see the table below.
Health Benefits
Health Benefits
All food and beverage choices matter – focus on variety, amount, and nutrition.
As part of an overall healthy diet, eating foods such as vegetables 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 vegetables can help increase intake of fiber and potassium, which are important nutrients that many Americans do not get enough of in their diet.
Fruits
Although restaurant and foodservice operations commonly serve fruit raw, many varieties can be cooked. These varieties of fruit can be served hot or cold. Preparing fruits for cooking involves washing them with water and then peeling, slicing, and cutting them. Some fruits, such as citrus fruit, melons, pineapples, and kiwi, keep their attractive appearance after they have been cut. Others, such as apples, pears, bananas, and peaches, turn an unappetizing dark color when their flesh has been exposed to air.
A chemical process called enzymatic (en-zi-MAT-ick) browning occurs when the oxygen in the air comes in contact with the flesh of cut fruit. This is what causes the fruit to turn brown. The reaction occurs more quickly in fruits that contain the enzyme polyphenol oxidase (pol-lee-feen-nole OX-ee-days), also referred to as PPO. Enzymatic browning is a fruit’s survival technique to protect it from the environment. To keep cut fresh fruits from discoloring, coat them with some form of acid, such as lemon juice, as soon as they are cut. These acids lower the pH on the surface of the fruit, which helps to slow down discoloration. Acids, such as lemon juice, help fruit to retain its structure. Alkalis, such as baking soda, cause the cells to break down more quickly, making the fruit soft.
It is always important to avoid overcooking fruit. Even minimal cooking can make fruit overly soft or mushy. When fruit is cooked with sugar, the sugar is absorbed slowly into the cells, firming the fruit. While every recipe and method is slightly different, most cooked fruit is done when its is tender and easily pierced with a fork. The following are just some of the methods used to cook fruit:
Grilling and broiling
Poaching
Sautéing
Baking
Frying (with or without batter)
Microwaving
When grilling or broiling fruits, you must cook them quickly to avoid breaking down the fruit’s structure. Pineapples, grapefruits, bananas, and peaches are all good fruits to grill or broil. Cut the fruits into slices, chunks, or halves, and coat with sugar or honey to add flavor and caramelization (a browning process). Place fruits to be grilled or broiled on an oiled sheet pan or broiling platter. Only thick fruit slices need to be turned or rotated to heat fully.
Fruits that are poached are cooked in simmering liquid. Therefore, use fruits that are firm enough to hold their shape during poaching. This includes plums, apples, peaches, and pears. Apples and pears can be cut in large pieces, but other small fruit should remain whole. Some famous poached fruit dishes include Peach Melba and Pears Belle Hélène. Poached fruits are also often used in other desserts as fillings or toppings.
Fruit has a rich, syrupy flavor when sautéed in butter, sugar, and spices. Cherries, bananas, pears, and pineapples are ideal for sautéing. When sautéing fruit, peel, core, and seed the fruit and then cut it into uniform sizes. Dessert fruits can be sautéed with sugar to create a caramelized glaze or syrup. It can be used to fill crêpes or as toppings for sponge cakes. Recipes for sautéed fruit that accompany main entrées usually add onions, shallots, or garlic to the mixture.
Fruit sauces can be made from a variety of fruits. Some of the most popular fruit sauces include applesauce, fresh berry coulis (cool-LEE), and compotes. Coulis is a sauce made from a purée of vegetables or fruits that can be served hot or cold. Fruit coulis is most often used on desserts. Raspberry coulis, for example, is especially popular with poached apples.
Compotes can be made by simmering dried fruits, such as apricots, currants, and raisins. They are often served either warm or chilled, topped with whipped cream, cinnamon, or vanilla sugar. Fresh berry sauces can be made of cooked or raw fruit. They can also be used as a base for dessert soufflés or as flavoring for Bavarian creams, buttercreams, and other fillings and icings. Ideally, sauce should be made from fresh fruits, but a good-quality sauce can be made by using unsweetened, frozen fruits.
Fruits can also be baked or prepared in a microwave oven. When baking fruits, you should choose firm fruits that are whole or cut into large pieces, such as apples, pears, and bananas. Apples, especially the Rome Beauty variety, are the most popular baked fruit because they are easy to prepare. Baked fruits are a healthy and nutritious dessert.
When microwaving fruits, watch the cooking time carefully. It’s easy to overcook fresh fruits because they are so tender. Always cover fruits when microwaving them, but leave a small opening from which excess steam can escape. When cooking whole fruits, such as plums or pears, in the microwave, puncture them with a fork in several places to keep them from bursting.
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