Celebrate National Fruit & Veggie Month During June and All Year Long

Every June marks the kick-off of National Fruits and Vegetables Month across the United States, with the goal being to increase daily consumption of fresh produce. While June is coming to a close, consuming and celebrating fruits and veggies is an important priority to undertake all year long. Luckily, there are many options Americans can take to ensure they get their daily recommended intake.

Plus, there’s even more to celebrate this June with the 10th anniversary of MyPlate. The anniversary marks when USDA updated the Federal nutrition symbol to become MyPlate. The graphic helps people put the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) into practice and reminds them of what and how much to eat from each of the five food groups – fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods, and dairy or fortified soy alternatives. As part of the fruit group along with fresh, frozen, canned and dried, 100% juice can help you increase total fruit intake. According to the DGA, 1 cup of fruit juice is equivalent to 1 cup of fruit, which means 100% fruit juice makes for a great complement to whole fruit. Double up on their intake of fruit by coupling whole fruit and juice during breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

As a MyPlate strategic partner, Juice Products Association is committed to helping consumers make healthy dietary choices.

To celebrate both occasions, Sip Smarter will be whipping up delicious, 100% fruit juice packed recipes the rest of June and all year long.

Breakfast: Nothing gets a day off to a better start than a delicious, filling, and healthy breakfast. Adding 100% juice to whatever recipe you make is a great way to kick-off the day with the vitamins and minerals you need. Try this Orange Cranberry Oatmeal, which is made with 2 cups of 100% orange juice, plus other healthy ingredients, like oatmeal, dried cranberries, vanilla yogurt, and toasted walnuts.

Lunch: Keep your lunch light during the summer months by opting for a salad. Don’t believe that fruit juice couples with salads? Think again! This Farro Salad with Spring Veggies in a Basil-Grapefruit Dressing uses 100% grapefruit juice to help make the dressing. When poured over the farro, arugula lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and asparagus, this salad comes together for the perfect summertime meal.

Snack: When you feel that 3 pm itch for a snack don’t go reaching for the cookies or chips. Instead, whip up a tasty and easy-to-make smoothie like this Dark Chocolate and Cran-Raspberry Smoothie. It’s super simple to make, using only 4 ingredients – frozen bananas, ½ cup of frozen raspberries, dark chocolate, and ¾ cup of cran-raspberry juice. Smoothies like this one help fill your belly without packing in any unhealthy ingredients and will get you through to dinnertime, no problem!

Dinner: Dinnertime in the summer calls for something light and flavorful, like this recipe for Pineapple Sweet & Sour Pork with Coconut Rice. The sweet & sour glaze for the pork is made with 100% pineapple juice and is the perfect option to eat out on the back deck or patio during a warm summer evening.

Dessert: No summer evening is complete without a tasty, cold dessert. But yes, even dessert can be made healthy with the help of 100% fruit juice. Just take this Pomegranate Nice Cream, for example. The recipe is simple, using only four ingredients, one of which is 100% pomegranate juice.

This daily meal planner is just one of many options you can utilize to ensure you get the proper serving of fruits and veggies your body needs. Create a meal plan for every day of the week using the recipes on Sip Smarter’s website.

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