Eat Your Vegetables

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It might be a sponsored month of festivities, but National Nutrition Month is still a great time to refocus on the good stuff. The American Dietetic Association, whose initial campaign was only one week long, wants you to think about the importance of making informed food choices and incorporating physical activity into your routine.

To celebrate, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reminds us of the value of vegetables. In the article, Deborah Madison, author of Local Flavors and Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, suggests not focusing on the natural medicinal properties of vegetables, so as not to take away the joy of eating them. You might like to know what vitamins you're consuming with those carrots, but Madison said, "When you eat vegetables fresh from a garden or a farmers market, you don't have to be convinced they're good, because they have so much flavor."

Mollie Katzen, author of the Moosewood Cookbook, suggests going back to the future. The paper quotes her: "The best wisdom is behind us, not in front of us. It's in other cultures and other generations. It's food that is plain and simple and recognizable; food that is as close to its original form as possible and cooked well so it tastes good."

Finally, Katzen said consumers should not be frightened of vegetables after recent health scares, such as the E. coli-tainted spinach, instead they should be concerned about industrialized farming methods. In other words, finish your organic, locally grown broccoli.

Get more vegetables to the table this week with these recipes:
Alice Waters' Spicy Cauliflower Soup
Vegetable Fajitas with Avocado and Tomato Salsa
Citrusy Root Vegetable Puree

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