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While locally-grown vegetables and fruit are the first choice for many, seasonal availability makes it difficult to enjoy a wide selection of produce all year round. How do you recognize this environmental concern and still ensure you incorporate a wide variety of fruits and vegetables into your diet to achieve overall health?

NEW healthy recipes from Go South!

Go South! is pleased to offer six delicious and healthy recipes.

But don’t worry, healthy doesn’t have to mean bland! These appetizing recipes are deliciously satisfying and good for you, to boot.

Did you know?

Pecans have the highest antioxidant content of any nut, according to a 2004 study comparing the antioxidant content of various foods. Of the top 20 antioxidant-rich foods, pecans rank at number 14, just behind several types of beans, apples and berries. Pecans were the only nut to make the top 20 list.

Go South! fruits and vegetables include:

• Bell Peppers
• Blueberries
• Cabbage
• Cantaloupe
• Celery
• Collard Greens
• Corn
• Cucumber
• Dandelion Greens
• Eggplant
• Green beans
• Honeydew

• Kale
• Kiett mango
• Peaches
• Pecans
• Specialty Peppers
• Spinach
• Strawberries
• Sweet onion
• Sweet potato
• Swiss Chard
• Zucchini

Ask an Expert: FRANCY PILLO-BLOCKA, RD, FDC

Francy Pillo-Blocka, RD, FDC is president and CEO of the Canadian Council of Food and Nutrition (CCFN), a multi-sectoral, science-based organization on nutrition policy and information. On October 24, CCFN launched the seventh Tracking Nutrition Trends report, a survey about the eating habits of Canadians (for more information, visit www.ccfn.ca. Here’s what Francy shared about the survey findings in a recent interview with Go South!:

Go South!: What’s important to consumers when making food choices?

Francy: The “taste” of food was deemed the top factor by 98 per cent of Canadians, followed closely by “nutrition” at 93 per cent. When selecting foods, many Canadians look for products that are (in order of importance) low in trans fat, whole grain, low in sugar and low in salt.

Go South!: Are vegetables and fruit important to Canadians?

Francy: Almost 60 per cent of Canadians said they had made changes to their diet in the past year. The top change reported was eating more vegetables and fruit, so Canadians are becoming more aware of the importance of consuming fresh produce.

Go South!: Are Canadians eating enough vegetables and fruit?

Francy: Absolutely not. While awareness is increasing, about 55 per cent of Canadian adults are still not meeting the minimum number of five to seven recommended servings of vegetables and fruit per day. This low consumption may be contributing to the obesity epidemic, and needs to be reversed.

Go South!: Do you have any suggestions to increase vegetables and fruit intake?

Francy: Out of sight is out of mind, so keep produce handy – in a fruit bowl or on the desk – at all times.

Produce spotlight: KALE and CABBAGE

By Cara Rosenbloom, RD

Consuming antioxidant-rich vegetables and fruit may help prevent chronic diseases related to oxidative stress in the body. Cruciferous vegetables, like KALE and CABBAGE, are high in phytochemicals and antioxidants, and many studies link them to a reduced risk of developing certain types of cancer.

Cruciferous vegetables are rich in glucosinolates, which are broken down into isothiocyanates (a type of phytochemical) by enzymes or intestinal flora in the body¹. Specifically, cruciferous vegetables are high in the isothiocyanate (ITC) called sulforaphane, which is an anti-cancer and anti-microbial phytochemical compound.

According to many epidemiological and experimental studies, ITCs such as sulforaphane may help decrease the risk of developing lung, breast, prostate and colon cancers^{2,3,4,5,6,7,8}. ITCs have several anti-carcinogenic mechanisms, including inhibition of carcinogen-activating enzymes and increased cell death¹. The richest food sources of sulforaphane are cruciferous vegetables such as CABBAGE, CAULIFLOWER, BROCCOLI, BOK CHOY, KALE and COLLARDS.

In addition to isothiocyanates, cruciferous vegetables like kale are rich in vitamins A and C, which provide further antioxidant protection.

Since cooking may affect the bioavailability and intake of isothiocyanates, it is important to eat vegetables like kale and cabbage both raw and cooked for maximum benefit ⁹. For raw kale and cabbage, recommend that patients add these to other types of lettuces for crunchy, exotic salads.

1 Mutat Res. 2004 Nov 2;555(1-2):191-202
2 Cancer Lett. 2008 Oct 8;269(2):291-304
3 J Natl Cancer Inst. 2007 Aug 1;99(15):1200-9
4 Mutat Res. 2004 Nov 2;555(1-2):173-90
5 Cancer Causes Control. 2004 Dec;15(10):977-85
6 Nutr Cancer. 2003;46(2):138-47
7 Cell Mol Life Sci. 2007 May;64(9):1105-27
8 Cancer Res. 2003 Jul 15;63(14):3980-6
9 Pharmacol Res. 2007 Mar;55(3):224-36