Food is not good or bad…it’s just how they are prepared, the amount we choose to eat and how they combine with each other. Think of combining foods like putting a puzzle together. What makes a puzzle fun and challenging is how the pieces fit together.

In the military they talk about 3 square meals a day. I want your puzzle to be round with many pieces…balancing our choices is what this section of the Doc Grubb WebPages will address monthly and at times bi-monthly. I will also include suggestions and recipes that feature that month’s bountiful farmer’s harvest.

Look at your plate tonight at dinner. Are there many colors or just a few. Since summer is almost here, this is a wonderful time to start mixing bright and fresh colors such as yellows, reds, blues and purples, oranges and greens as the puzzle pieces. Your puzzle at every meal should be a combination of these vibrant colors. The next time you eat fast food, which I know you don’t, look at the colors. You will be surprised how much BROWN you see and the total absence of any bright color. How can this be healthy for you?

When we put a variety of colors on our plates, we ensure that our bodies are receiving the vitamins and minerals needed to keep us in good health. It is important that we balance the quantity and quality of the foods we eat. Some foods have higher levels of sugar, fat or salt while other foods have high levels of fiber, vitamins and minerals. For example, you can’t eat the same amount of broccoli as green beans because the broccoli is a much denser vegetable. An apple and a banana have the same amount of calories but which one is harder to eat and fills you up more? The answer is (drum roll please) THE APPLE.

Did You Know?

Bananas are high in potassium, a mineral that helps build “muscle power” and keep fluids in the body in balance. This is a good fruit to eat after you exercise to help your muscle recover and to increase your blood sugar so you have more energy.

Fresh apples float in water because 25% of their volume is air!

The darker green a lettuce is, the more nutritious it is. Mixed greens are best.

Most lettuce is packed right in the field, making it the second most popular vegetable!

The name "asparagus" comes from a Greek word meaning "sprout."