A Healthy Dose of Vitamin C by Elizabeth Pivonka, Ph.D., R.D., Produce for Better Health (NAPSA)—Extra sweet pineapples, distinguished by their golden shells and bright yellow flesh, provide a sensational taste and a stellar source of vitamin C. With 150 percent of the daily value for vitamin C, these pineapples are a delicious, whole food way to help keep your gums and immune system healthy. It’s much more fun to get your vitamin C from a colorful fruit member of 5 A Day’s yel“~~ low/orange group Pivonka than from a vitamin pill. To encourage people to eat 5 to 9 servings of a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables every day, we've developed The Color Way Guide. Fruits and vegetables are divided into 5 color groups: red, yellow/orange, white, green and blue/purple. The goal is to eat at least 1 serving from all the groups every day; this way you are sure to capture many important nutrients along with fiber and phytochemicals, as you enjoy a variety of tastes and textures. Treat yourself to one of the finest varieties of pineapples on the market today. Picked at their peak of ripeness and ready to eat, Del Monte Gold” Extra Sweet Pineapples make a great snack and a wonderful addition to fruit salsas, yogurts, salads, cottage cheese and smoothies. Salsa adds a colorful focal point and nutritional value to almost any grilled lean meats, fish or poultry. For maximum flavor, plan to make the salsa 4 to 24 hours ahead of time. Available all year, you should select fragrant, heavy and symmetrical pineapples with crown leaves that are fresh and green. For more recipes and information about Del Monte Gold” Extra Sweet Pineapple, visit www.freshdelmonte.com and for more information about 5 A Day The Color Way visit www.5aday. org and www.aboutproduce.com. Del Monte Gold” Extra Sweet Pineapple Salsa 2 cups chopped fresh pineapple 1 cup chopped red and/or green bell pepper 4% cup sweet onionslivers % cup lemonjuice 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro 1 to 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded andfinely chopped Blend pineapple, bell pepper, onion, lemon juice, cilantro and jalapeno pepper in medium bowl. Refrigerate, covered for 4 to 24 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve salsa over grilled chicken or seafood or with chips. Makes 34% cups. Nutritional information per 4 cup serving: calories: 35, total fat: 0.1g, sat- urated fat: 0g, % calories from fat: 3%, % calories from saturated fat: 0%, pro- tein: 1g, carbohydrates: 9g, cholesterol: Omg, dietary fiber: 1g, sodium: 2mg Note to Editors: Eightieth in a series of monthly 5-A-Day columns. More stories at www.napsnet.com and search: “Pivonka.”
