Growing up, summers spent with my grandparents meant eating delicious treats fresh from the garden and selling fruits and vegetables from the back of a pickup truck.  

The first taste of a sweet, juicy peach from Arnold Fruit Co. last week offered a welcome flashback to those summer memories.

In the big scheme of things, it’s pretty amazing that the foods that are healthiest for us are also naturally delicious.  

But, in our busy world, we often choose foods that are quick rather than healthy, and processed rather than natural. And, it's taking a toll on our health.  

We Oklahomans are dead last in the nation for fruit and vegetable consumption, yet we lead the race to be dead first as our average lifespan gets shorter.  

As part of the effort to address our nation’s growing obesity epidemic, the federal government recently launched new, simplified dietary guidelines that replaced the old food pyramid with “My Plate.” (www.ChooseMyPlate.gov)

Ultimately, the new “My Plate” recommendations urge us to cover half our plate at meals and snacks with vegetables and fruit. That might mean eating twice as much produce as we do now.  

Eating at least two fruit and three vegetable servings each day supports good health, and here are three reasons why:

1) Fruits and veggies are loaded with nutrients that we Americans tend to get too little of, including vitamins A, C and K, potassium and magnesium, and fiber, which is shown to contribute to a sense of fullness and decrease hunger.

2) Eating fruits and vegetables is associated with decreased risk of many chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

3) Because fruits and vegetables are relatively low in calories, swapping them in for high calorie foods like potato chips and French fries helps prevent weight gain.

The other half of our plate should include healthy grains and protein. Dairy also plays an important role.

While encouraging us to eat more produce, the new dietary guidelines also urge that we reduce the amount of sugar-sweetened drinks, solid fats, refined grains and sodium we take in each day.

So, we can eat more to weigh less? In a sense, yes, but only when we eat smart, don’t “biggie size” every meal, and limit those sugary and fatty foods loaded with calories.  

As we eat more foods that are naturally healthy and higher in fiber, we are more satisfied and tend to eat less of the refined, processed, high fat and sugary foods that contribute to our growing epidemic of muffin tops and pudgy bellies.

Most of us intuitively know that eating fresh fruits and veggies is good for us; it’s actually doing it that is the challenge.

Although my grandparents could garden, I’m still waiting for the green thumb gene to kick in.  Until it does, I’m thankful that we can enjoy the hard work and know-how of local farmers who make it possible to bring delicious, fresh-picked produce to our plate.

Since 1964, Arnold Fruit Co., 1412 W. Shawnee St., has offered local, vine-ripened fruits and vegetables, bulk seeds and vegetable plants, and a variety of other tasty items.

Bonnie Phillips and her sons Darrell and Bobby Arnold run the family business and seek to provide top quality local produce and service to their customers.  

Darrell said they buy everything local, if they can, and have long-term buying relationships with farmers from Webbers Falls, Fort Gibson, Porter, Stillwell and other surrounding communities.

“People who buy here buy because it’s local. They want the freshest produce they can get,” Darrell said. “Plus, we have short lines, air conditioned buildings and we can answer questions about what we sell.

From juicy fruits like peaches, cantaloupe and watermelon to tomatoes, okra, corn, cucumbers, peppers and many other items, Arnold Fruit Co., the Muskogee Farmers’ Market and other local produce vendors make it easier to fill half our plate with nutritious and delicious fruits and vegetables.  

When we eat smart, we can eat more and still improve our health.

For more information, visit www.choosemyplate.gov or www.muskogeewellness.org.  



Lisa Wade Raasch directs the Muskogee Wellness Initiative and the Eastern OK Health Care Coalition. Visit Muskogee Wellness online at www.MuskogeeWellness. org.