Teacher Talking Points - Healthy Living...for life! | Nutrition Services

Eat Your Colors – Teacher Talking PointsBackgroundMost teenagers in the U.S. are not eating enough fruits and vegetables:• 10 to 14 year olds are almost 22% less likely to eat the recommended amount of fruit andvegetables in comparison to children under 4 years of age.• Less than half of all teenagers in California between the ages of 12 and 17 report eatingthe recommended 5 or more servings of fruit and vegetables on a given day.• Fruit and vegetable intake decreases between middle and high school for all youths.Poor nutrition, including not eating enough fruits and vegetables, negatively affects teenagers’energy levels, ability to concentrate, and ability to learn. It also leads to increased illness andabsenteeism, which both cause schools to lose money.LET’S CHANGE THAT!!! Start today by learning why we should eat from all the colors of the rainbow.Each day this week, we will discuss a different color of the rainbow and fruits and vegetables of thatcolor. By the end of the week, we will understand the importance of eating a colorful variety of fruitsand vegetables every day.Color oftheRainbowDay 1:REDExamples offruits andvegetablesRed applesCherriesCranberriesRed grapesGrapefruitPomegranatesRaspberriesStrawberriesWatermelonBeetsRed peppersRadishesRed onionsRed potatoesTomatoesWhy is this color good forme?Red fruits and vegetables:• Keep you healthy as you getolder (they lower your riskof heart disease and certaincancers)• Help you remember things(memory function)• Keep your heart healthyDo you know…?Trivia• Fresh apples float! Do you knowwhy? It’s because 25% of theirvolume is air.• Green and red bell peppers comefrom the same plant – as bellpeppers mature, the color changesfrom green to red as they ripen andsweeten. That’s why red bellpeppers are sweeter than green.• Strawberries are the only fruit withseeds on the outside.• There are over 600 different cherryvarieties.Alameda County Public Health Department Nutrition Services 3600 Telegraph Ave. Oakland, CA 94609Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Stamp Program, an equal opportunity provider and employer,through the California Nutrition Network for Healthy Active Families.For information about the California Food Stamp Program, please call 1-888-999-4772.

Day 2:ORANGE/YELLOWApricotsCantaloupeGrapefruitLemonMangoesNectarinesOrangesPapayasPeachesPineapplesTangerinesButternut squashCarrotsYellow peppersYellow potatoesPumpkinRutabagasSweet cornSweet potatoesYellow tomatoesOrange and yellow fruits andvegetables:• Help you to be able to see(help you maintain goodeyesight and vision health)• Keep you from getting sick(help maintain a healthyimmune system)• Keep your heart healthy(may reduce the risk of heartdisease and complications ofdiabetes)• Keep you healthy as you getolder (they lower your risk ofcertain cancers)Do you know…?• Baby carrots are cut from largecarrots.• Bananas are green when they arepicked, and they don’t turn yellowuntil they ripen.• Which state produces more carrotsthan any other state in the U.S.?(California)• What is the most popular fruit in theUnited States? (Banana)• What is the most popular fruit in theworld? (Mango)Day 3:GREENAvocadosGreen applesGreen grapesHoneydewKiwifruitLimesGreen pearsArtichokesAsparagusBroccoliBrussels sproutsGreen beansGreen cabbageCeleryChayote squashCucumbersLeafy greensLettuceGreen onionOkraPeasGreen pepperSpinachZucchiniGreen fruits and vegetables:• Keep your bones and teethstrong• Keep you healthy as you getolder (they lower your risk ofheart disease and certaincancers)• Keep your eyes healthy(vision health)Do you know…?• Asparagus was first grown inGreece about 2,500 years ago.• California is broccoli country. Ourstate grows more than 90% of thenations broccoli!• Which vegetable is never soldcanned, dried or frozen, only fresh?(Lettuce)• California is the only state thatproduces kiwifruit in the UnitedStates.• Green grapes need to be picked atjust the right moment of ripeness asthey don’t sweeten after picking.

Day 4:BLUE/PURPLEBlackberriesBlueberriesBlack currantsDried plumsPurple figsPurple grapesPlumsRaisinsEggplantPurple peppersPurple potatoesBlue and Purple fruits andvegetables:• Keep you healthy as you getolder (they lower your risk ofheart disease and certaincancers)• Help you remember things(memory function)• Help you to digest foodDo you know…?• Blueberries grow in clusters onbushes.• Eggplants are almost 95% water.• 70% of the world’s plums aregrown in California.• Purple cabbage juice is an indicator– when mixed with an acid likelemon juice, it will turn red, butwhen mixed with a base like bakingsoda, it turns blue.Day 5:WHITEDatesWhite nectarinesWhite peachesCauliflowerDaikonGarlicGingerJicamaMushroomsOnionsParsnipsWhite potatoesShallotsTurnipsWhite CornWhite fruits and vegetables:• Help keep your bloodpressure at a healthy level• Keep you healthy as you getolder (they lower your risk ofheart disease and certaincancers)Do you know…?• California produces morecauliflower than any other state inthe U.S.• The average American eats about124 pounds of potatoes per year.(Germans, on average, eat twice asmuch).• Daikon, an Asian radish, comesfrom two Japanese words: Dai(meaning large) and kon (meaningroot). Daikon can grow to be 20inches long!