Variety of fresh vegetables

EAT MORE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Report: North Carolinians should eat more fruits and vegetables

Dunn, C. and Creamer, C. 2013. Summary of the CDC’s 2013 State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables and projects across the state that are working to increase North Carolinian’s intake of fresh fruits and vegetables.

North Carolina Resources

• Guidelines for Healthy Recipes Used in Extension Programming
• Cooking Local Foods – Research shows that individuals and families who eat more foods at home consume a healthier diet. In order for families to eat more foods at home and connect nutrition to healthy, local foods, cooking skills are an essential teaching strategy to help families adopt new healthy behaviors. 
• Nutrition and Cooking Education Guides:
  • Best Practices for Utilizing Local Food in Nutrition Education and Cooking Classes
  • Family-Based Nutrition Classes: A Guide for Nutrition Educators
  • Food Pantry Nutrition Classes: A Guide for Nutrition Educators
  • Grocery Store Tours: A_Guide for Nutrition Educators
  • Farmers’ Market Tours: A_Guide for Nutrition Educators
• North Carolina Seasonal Recipes
  • Farmers’ Market Recipe Cards (English) / Farmers’ Market Recipe Cards (Spanish)  – These recipes are a part of the Farmers’ Market Tours_Guide designed for nutrition educators to integrate a tour of a farmers’ market into Faithful Families, Steps to Health and EFNEP classes. Educators are provided with tips about how to work with farmers’ markets and Extension agents to provide education about local food and farming, how to use federal nutrition assistance benefits at the market, and how to prepare local food.
  • NC Steps to Health: Harvest of the Month handouts – NC Harvest of the Month handouts highlight one fruit or vegetable and include nutrition, physical activity, recipes, and fun facts related to North Carolina.
  • Local Food Recipe Cards – Recipe cards in English and Spanish featuring a variety of local foods:
    • Balsamic Roasted Beets with Feta: ENGLISH  /  SPANISH
    • Bok Choy Salad: ENGLISH  /  SPANISH
    • Creamy Spinach and Leeks: ENGLISH  /  SPANISH
    • Garden Quesadillas: ENGLISH  /  SPANISH
    • Greek Tomato Salad: ENGLISH  /  SPANISH
    • Lemon Basil Summer Squash: ENGLISH  /  SPANISH
    • Lemon Green Beans with Parsley and Almonds: ENGLISH  /  SPANISH
    • Minted Watermelon Salad: ENGLISH  /  SPANISH
    • Spinach and NC Strawberry Salad: ENGLISH  /  SPANISH
    • Sweet Summer Peach Salsa: ENGLISH  /  SPANISH
    • Crispy Vegetable Pancakes: ENGLISH  /  SPANISH
    • Ranch Greek Yogurt Dip and Hummus: ENGLISH  /  SPANISH
    • Savory Pumpkin Hummus: ENGLISH / SPANISH
• Eat Smart, Move More North Carolina
  “A statewide movement that promotes increased opportunities for healthy eating and physical activity wherever people live, learn, earn, play and pray.”
  • • North Carolina’s Plan to Address Obesity: Healthy Weight and Healthy Communities 2013-2020
      “A seven-year plan offering overarching goals and measurable objectives for anyone working in the area of overweight and obesity prevention.” Evidence based strategies that relate to local foods include:
      • Provide access to affordable healthy food.
      • Implement policies and practices to improve the availability of locally grown foods by expanding farmers markets and farm stands (schools, communities, etc).
      • Implement policies to offer and promote healthier foods and beverages as part of an overall marketing mix, especially to children.
      • Provide mechanisms for purchasing locally grown foods.
    • Eat Smart NC: Bring Fresh Produce to your Setting Guide
      “A planning and resource tool for anyone who would like to have fruits and vegetables, especially locally grown, available to buy in their worksite, place of worship, neighborhood or at any gathering place.”
• Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP)
  N.C. Cooperative Extension Service Food & Nutrition Programs and Resources
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education Program (SNAP-Ed)
  “The goal of SNAP-Ed is to assist those eligible for food assistance to eat smart and move more.”
• Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (HPDP) – University of North Carolina at Chapel HIll
  • Warren FoodWorks and Produce Pack Project
    Project of HPDP and Warren County Regional Food Center. Establishes new farm-to-fork connections between local growers and low-income consumers in Warren County NC.

Local Food and Health

• Eat Local. Eat Healthy. (links to print version)
  Tri-fold brochure developed by North Carolina Cooperative Extension.
  • Instructions for use:
    • Please print professionally. The brochure design does not print well on home/office printers.
    • To get a price quote, give your printer these Print Specifications:
      • 11 x 8.5 full bleed (this is the size of the paper, bleed means color comes all the way to the edge)
      • Trim, Score and Trifold to 3.66 x 8.5 (this means cut off the edges and fold it to finished size)
      • 4C over 4C (translates to – full color on both sides)
      • 80 l.b Matte or Dull Text (this is the type of paper — this is NOT uncoated, it is a coated paper with a matte finish as opposed to a glossy finish)

National Resources

• Centers for Disease Control & Prevention Resources
  • State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables, 2018 Highlights approaches to increase the purchase, supply, and demand of fruits and vegetables in states and communities across the United States. The report shows the status of 10 indicators of fruit and vegetable access and production for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report also highlights state successes and provides strategies for improvement.
    • North Carolina Action Guide on Fruits and Vegetables, 2018              This guide provides actionable steps that public health practitioners, decision makers, and agriculture and food systems leaders can take to promote a healthy food environment and support fruit and vegetable consumption in North Carolina.
  • Guide to Strategies to Increase the Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables, 2011
    Includes information on promoting food policy councils, starting farmers’ markets and community-supported-agriculture, supporting community and home gardens and more.
  • Have a Plant: Fruits & Veggies for Better Health
    We all know that fruits and vegetables add important nutrition to our diets. But how much should we eat? And how can we make this nutrition stuff easier, tastier and more enjoyable? To answer these questions, FruitsAndVeggies.org offers simple ways to add more fruits and veggies to your day. They offer expert advice, nutrition and storage information, shopping tips, healthy menus and recipes, kid-friendly recipes and healthy tips, as well as ways to save money using fruits and veggies. FruitsAndVeggies.org demonstrates that eating more fruits and vegetables does matter to all of us. It’s a great way to stay healthy and is a perfect fit for busy lives.
• Delivering Community Benefit: Healthy Food Playbook

  Learn and accelerate best practices to promote healthy food access and healthier food systems.

• Food Safety: How to Clean Up Your Act at Home, 2020. Safety, Health & Consumer Council. Learn tips for food safety at home.

• Food Safety for Consumers
  N.C. Fresh Produce Safety Portal provides information to consumers concerning foodborne illnesses and educational resources.
  • Health and Wellness
  • Educational Resources
  • Foodborne Illness
• Food Safety for Retailers, Small Businesses, and Other
• Food Safety / Home Food Preservation
  North Carolina Cooperative Extension Family and Consumer Sciences resources including food safety for consumers as well as resources on equipment, specific foods, and Extension agent resources.
• Food Safety for Growers
• Food Safety for the Food Industry
• Food Safety for Processors

Primary Contact:  

Zandra Alford
Extension Associate, Foods and Nutrition
NC State University
Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences
zandra_alford@ncsu.edu