Compare these 2 meals
According to MRCA Information Services - a leading authority on
Americans'
eating trends, the average American suffers from a fruit and vegetable
deficit ranging from 219 to 1,629 servings per year. That's enough to
fill 4 shopping carts.
It's easy to reduce your fruit and vegetable deficit. Here's an example:
These photos compare a fruit and vegetable-rich meal with a fruit and
vegetable-poor
meal.
The following is an analysis of the healthy differences between these
two meals. Remember, the fruit and vegetable-rich meal is far lower in
fat, far richer in fiber and antioxidants, and actually costs almost $1
less than the fruit and vegetable-poor meal.
NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS
Fruit and Vegetable-Poor Menu vs. Fruit & Vegetable-Rich Menu
Research conducted by Produce for Better Health Foundation, Feb/99
MENUS
|
|
Menu One: Fruit and Vegetable-Poor
Main Plate
8 ozs. sirloin steak
1 cup cooked white rice with pat of butter
1/2 cup broccoli with pat of butter
Salad Plate
1 cup Romaine lettuce
1/2 cup bacon, cheddar cheese
1 1/2 tbsps. low-fat salad dressing
Drink
8 ozs. cola
Dessert
1 slice white cake with frosting
1/2 cup vanilla ice cream
|
Menu
Two: Fruit and Vegetable-Rich
Main Plate
3 ozs. sirloin steak
1 cup cooked brown rice with 1 tsp. soy sauce
1 1/2 cups broccoli, red pepper, carrots
Salad Plate
1 cup Romaine lettuce
1 cup carrots, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers
1 1/2 tbsps. low-fat salad dressing
Drink
8 ozs. skim milk
Dessert
1 1/2 cups cantaloupe, bananas, grapes, apples, oranges
1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
|
CHANGES & SUBSTITUTIONS
TO MENU TWO
* Seven additional servings of fruits and vegetables were added
* The amount of sirloin steak was decreased from 8 ozs. to 3 ozs.
* Brown rice was substituted for white rice
* No additional butter or other fat was used in stir-fry
* Salad toppings of bacon and cheese were replaced by vegetables
* Skim milk replaced cola
* Low-fat vanilla yogurt replaced vanilla ice cream
MEAL COMPARISON OVERVIEW
Research conducted by Produce for Better Health Foundation, Feb/99
Cost**
Think produce costs more? The fruit and vegetable-rich menu
costs almost $1.00 less than the fruit and vegetable-poor menu.
Calories
The fruit and vegetable fruit and vegetable-poor menu has more than twice the calories
as the fruit and vegetable-rich menu (1504 calories vs. 740 calories)
Fat
The fruit and vegetable-poor menu has four times the amount of total fat as the fruit and vegetable- rich
menu (65g vs. 16g), and six times the amount of saturated fat (27g
vs. 4.4g).
The fruit and vegetable-poor menu packs 65 grams of total fat-that's your total fat
allowance for the entire day, and 27 grams of saturated fat-that's your
total saturated fat allowance for almost a day and a half; the fruit and vegetable- rich
menu only uses up less than a quarter of your daily allowance for both
total and saturated fat.
Fiber
The fruit and vegetable- rich menu has three times the amount of fiber as the fruit and vegetable-poor
menu-fulfilling one half of your daily fiber recommendation in one
meal.
Antioxidants
It's easy to see the benefit of the fruit and vegetable- rich menu when you realize
it has more than seven times the amount of the powerful antioxidant vitamin
A as compared to the fruit and vegetable-poor menu (369% daily value vs. 51% daily
value).
The fruit and vegetable- rich menu also has almost three times the amount of antioxidant
vitamin C as compared to the fruit and vegetable-poor menu (320% daily value vs. 119%
daily value), and three times the amount of bone-building vitamin D as
the fruit and vegetable-poor menu (25% daily value vs. 8% daily value).
Variety
Variety and color in the fruit and vegetable- rich menu-two quick tips to healthful
eating. In the fruit and vegetable- rich menu, you get 18 different foods, while you
only get 11 different foods in the fruit and vegetable-poor menu.
5 A Day
It's easy to reach your goal to eat 5 or more servings everyday, when
eating meals like the fruit and vegetable- rich menu-it's packed with nine servings
of fruits and vegetable, whereas the fruit and vegetable-poor menu only has two servings
of vegetables and no servings of fruit.
** The total cost of the fruit and vegetable-poor menu is $4.32 per person, whereas fruit and vegetable- rich
menu the costs only $3.38 per person. The cost analysis was
done based on the prices in a Boston-metropolitan area grocery store:
actual costs may vary depending on geographic location. The cost analysis
was done using supermarket brand (generic) products when available. The
cost analysis was done based on the amount of food consumed per person
per menu, rather than the lowest quantity of food available for purchase
(e.g. 1/4 of an orange, rather than a whole orange).
|