Cooking classes- Veggies

Some benefits of vegetables with high nutritional values

• A 41% reduced risk of heart disease
• 22% lower risk of certain cancers
• Protection from macular degeneration and glaucoma
• Better teeth and bone structure
• Improved memory and brain function
• Stronger immune system – less colds, flu and infections

Only 14% of U.S. adults eat enough fruits, vegetables

By Lindsey Anderson, USA TODAY 9/29/2009

Only 14% of adults eat the recommended number of servings of fruit and vegetables a day, says a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

About 33% of adults meet the recommendation of two or more servings of fruits a day; 27% eat the recommended three or more servings of vegetables.

Washington, D.C., leads the nation in eating fruits and vegetables: 20.1% of adults report they meet both daily recommendations. Mississippi sits at the bottom with 8.8%.

Three of the top states are in New England, and three of the bottom states are in the Southeast. The disparity could be a result of the lack of farmers markets in the Southeast and policies that promote healthful foods in schools and communities, says Heidi Blanck, senior scientist for the CDC.

High school students fare worse than adults: 9.5% report they eat two or more fruits and three or more vegetables a day. About the same number of students (32%) as adults say they meet the fruit recommendation, but only 13% say they eat at least three servings of vegetables a day.

The Healthy People 2010 objective from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services aims to have 75% of the U.S. population meeting the daily fruit recommendations and 50% meeting the daily vegetable recommendations.

"At the current rate, the goal won't be met," Blanck says.

To raise the percentage of people meeting the goals, the CDC suggests grocery stores increase their stock of "high-quality" fruits and vegetables and encourages states to form food policy councils that evaluate the access to fresh produce.

It also suggests schools provide more fruits and vegetables in cafeterias and vending machines.

A few recipes that we made:

Hans’ Salad

Throw any of the following ingredients together, chopped into small pieces

Bok Choy

Pickled cucumbers

Onions

Collard greens

Roman lettuce

Tomatoes

Avocado

Rutabaga

Jicama

Carrots

Tomato, Avocado and Almond Salad by Shelly

2 cups chopped tomatoes

1-2 cups diced avocados

1 cup chopped almonds

1 cup chopped celery

4 Tbls chopped green onion

4 Tbls chopped cilantro

2 Tbls fresh lemon juice

1 tsp agave

1 Tbls Nutritional yeast (optional)

Dash of cayenne (optional)

¼ tsp sea salt

Mix together and enjoy

And just a regular salad with Ranch dressing and a Tomato Basil vinaigrette dressing.