(NAPSI)—Mealtime’s about to get a lot more colorful. Registered dietitians and other health professionals recommend eating fruits and vegetables in a wide variety of colors. Why? It’s not just to make your plate pop. A colorful diet helps ensure you’re getting the broadest possible range of vitamins, minerals and beneficial plant nutrients, like polyphenols. The more colorful your diet, the more nutritious it is.
Here’s the challenge: Many Americans are confused about the benefits of incorporating colorful produce into their diet. According to a recent survey by Welch’s, almost half of consumers (44 percent) don’t know or aren’t sure that specific colors of fruits and vegetables offer unique health benefits.1
And, though 63 percent of Americans know that they should eat colorful produce, only 32 percent often make an effort to include it in their diet.
Refresh Your Grocery List
Think about your favorite fruits and vegetables. What colors are you missing? The next time you’re at the grocery store, try to fill in the gaps.
Make sure you include purple fruits and vegetables in your cart, too. While 73 percent of Americans know they’re an option, only 3 percent of our produce intake is from the purple and blue category.2
Fortunately, there are easy ways to infuse more purple into your day. For example, Welch’s 100% Grape Juice is made with dark purple Concord grapes. You can enjoy a glass or use it in your favorite recipes for a boost of color, flavor and nutrition.
What benefits does this surprising purple powerhouse bring? Concord grapes provide polyphenols that give them their signature purple color and help support a healthy heart. In fact, thanks to the Concord grape, 100% grape juice delivers many of the same polyphenols and heart-health benefits as red wine.
One way Concord grapes can help support a healthy heart is by promoting healthy circulation to help keep your blood pumping and energy flowing. They may even offer certain benefits for a healthy mind.
No wonder 67 percent of the Americans who drink red wine are willing to swap their wine glass for a glass of 100% grape juice every now and then.
Making Healthy Choices
You won’t regret eating—or drinking—more purple produce. Concord grapes are harvested and in season during a few short weeks each fall. If you find them fresh, great—but since it can be hard to find these tiny, tender grapes in the grocery store, you can get the same benefits in a glass. To capture the Concord grape’s big taste and natural polyphenol power, each glass of 100% grape juice is made by pressing whole grapes, which is why Welch’s 100% Grape Juice is the best way to enjoy the Concord grape all year wherever you live.
Every 8-ounce glass of Welch’s 100% Grape Juice is made with more than 40 Concord grapes and provides two servings (one cup) of fruit. In those eight ounces, you also get natural grape polyphenols, the antioxidant vitamin C and no added sugar, flavors, colors or preservatives.
Of course, a colorful diet goes best with a heart-healthy dose of physical activity. The experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that adults get 2½ hours of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or an hour and a quarter of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity each week.
You don’t have to do it all at once. Work your way up to it if you’re not physically active now, and start with 10 or 15 minutes at a time. Walking, biking, dancing, even housework and gardening all meet the criteria—and maybe your to-do list, as well. Be sure to talk with your doctor about the types and amounts of physical activity that are right for you.
Learn More
For further grape facts, stats and recipes, go to www.welchs.com.
1Produce For Better Health Foundation. State of the Plate Study on America’s Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables. Wilmington, Delaware. 2003.
2Welch’s Heart Health Survey, fielded December 19−21, 2016 by ORC International
On the Net:North American Precis Syndicate, Inc.(NAPSI)
