VEGGIES AND VITAMIN A
Notes
By Ann Stevenson
Servings
 How many servings of vegetables should
the average person have every day?
1 - 4 cups
 How many servings of fruit should the
average person have every day?
1 – 2 ½ cups
Serving Sizes
 Vegetable Serving Sizes
 1 cup leafy
 ½ cup cooked or chopped fresh
 ¾ cup juice
 Fruit Serving Sizes
 1 medium fruit
 ½ cup chopped raw, cooked, canned
 ¾ cup juice (Only 100% juice counts!!)
Fruit and Vegetable definitions
 Formal definition
Fruit – mature
ovaries of
plants(seeds)
Vegetable – all
edible parts of
plants excluding
the fruit
 Consumer definition
Fruit – succulent plant
materials which
taste tart/sweet
(seeds)
Vegetable – edible
plant tissues which
don’t taste
tart/sweet
What is a Vegetable? We will use
the consumer definition.
 A vegetable is an edible
plant which does not
taste tart or sweet.
 It can come from many
different parts of the plant.
For example:
What nutrients do they contain?
 Most are low in
calories and fat.
 High in vitamins –
especially A and C
A C
and
Vitamin A
 Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin.
 Because excess can be stored in fat
you need only to eat a good source
every other day.
 There is a pigment in orange, dark
yellow and dark green vegetables
that is called Carotene. Your body
uses half of it to make Vitamin A and
discards the other half.
What does Vitamin A do?
 It helps your eyes
with night vision
and adjustment.
 Essential
in cell formation
and stimulates
growth.
 It is the “
beauty” vitamin…Helps to
give shiny hair, smooth skin, etc.
History of Vitamin A
 First vitamin actually discovered.
During the war
children in
Denmark were
having trouble
with their vision.
Doctor
thought it
might be
related to
diet. Did
some
experiments
with rats.
Found that
adding fat to
their diet cured
their vision
problems.
(Vitamin A is a
fat soluble
vitamin
Denmark had been
selling the cream
(or fat) off their
milk to other
countries to help
finance the war
effort. Putting the
cream back into the
milk cured the
children.
ALSO…Night blindness
Fishermen off the
coast of
Newfoundland were
having trouble with
night blindness.
Night blindness is
a condition where
your eye does not
produce enough
visual purple for
you to see in the
dark.
The fishermen found that
when they ate the livers
of the fish they were
catching their night
blindness was cured.
There is vitamin A in Cod
liver oil.
Good Sources of Vitamin A
Fruits and veggies that are
bright orange,
bright yellow,
or dark green
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Tomatoes
Carrots
Spinach
Sweet potatoes
Cantaloupe
Broccoli
BUYING AND COOKING
FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
Selection
and
 Make sure they are
crisp and fresh looking
 Buy a good quality
 Heavy and firm
 No marks or bruises
Storage
 Buy what you can use
in 2 – 7 days
 Refrigerate them
except the bulb
vegetables
 Wash them just before
using. Do not soak
them
 Handle carefully
 Remove any spoilage
Selecting and Preparing Fruits
and Vegetables
 What does it mean if a fruit is seasonal?
 Grown and harvested during a
certain season.
 Why is it a good reason to buy seasonal fruits in season?
 Lower cost, plentiful, and
quality is better
 How long will most fruit last after it is picked?
 1 week
 What are some ways to preserve fruits?
 Jam, jelly, canned, syrup, juice,
and frozen
Selecting and Preparing Fruits
and Vegetables
 Where should potatoes and onions be stored?
 Room temperature in a very
dark and dry place
 Why is it important to wash vegetables and fruits before
eating them?
 Wash off pesticides and waxes
 Why do most fruits turn brown when they are cut?
 Oxidation or enzymatic
browning
 How can you prevent fruit from turning brown after it is
cut?
 Dip them in a citrus juice or
liquid with ascorbic acid
Cooking (to retain nutrition)
 Remember the three R’s
1. Reduce surface or air (Larger pieces
mean less area exposed to the air.)
2. Reduce water
3. Reduce amount of heat and
amount of time cooked.
Methods of cooking
Boil-lose lots of nutrients to water
Steam – reduces water
Bake – reduces water, reduces air
Stir Fry – reduces heat, reduces water,
increases air
 Saute’ – reduces water, increases air
 Fry (Pan or Deep) reduces water
 Microwave - reduces water, reduces heat
(time)
The best ways to cook veggies and retain
nutrients are microwaving, stir frying, and
baking.
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A WELL-COOKED VEGETABLE 
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Tender but crisp texture
Vivid color
Good flavor
Full of nutrients