Nutrition Bingo
Come play Nutrition Bingo with us at Next Generation Training Center this month! We have 20 foods for you to try to incorporate into your diet during the month of March. Look up recipes, get creative, and find new ways to sneak in these green fruits & vegetables to help boost your daily nutrition! Nutrition doesn’t have to be boring, Next Generation Training Center makes it fun! Click the button to take you to the full list of foods on the Nutrition Bingo board, with an explanation for each one!
Pear – powerhouse fruit, lots of fiber, and vitamins – helps fight inflammation, promote heart and gut health. Make sure to eat the peel, lots of the goodness hides in there! Try to buy fresh when you can, then frozen and as a last resort, from a can. Ways to use ripe pears: juice them, add to salads, muffins, yogurts & oatmeal
Arugula – high in fiber and antioxidants from vitamins C & K, rich in folate & calcium. Eat raw or cooked. This powerful green has a powerful peppery taste, which is why it does well in mixed green salads, also goes well on sandwiches!
Honeydew – often ignored in a fruit salad and left for last, don’t discount this potassium-rich fruit that helps maintain blood pressure levels. The serving size is 1 cup – so have at it!
Asparagus – anti-inflammatory and high in antioxidants, these skinny little trees are low in calories, have no fat, and are low in sodium. 5 trees in your forest and you are good for 1 serving! Eat it raw or cooked hot or cold, it mixes well into soups, casseroles & stir-fries!
Lime – high in vitamin C and help keep your immune system in check. Can help reduce the risk of heart disease, kidney stones and helps keep that skin baby fresh! Add lime to your water, mix with avocado for a new creative salad dressing, or experiment by adding to a roasted chicken dish!
Kale – All hail King Kale – nutrient-dense superfood of all of the greens! Loaded with antioxidants, rich in Vitamins A, C & K. Kale is a super source of vitamins and minerals – 1 cup of chopped kale gives you MORE than your recommended daily allowances (RDA) of these vitamins! One-stop eating! Add raw to salads, smoothies, shakes, or juices or you can sautee or bake it! Either way, you will feel the benefits of this superfood sooner than later if you add it to your daily nutrition!
Snap Peas – Great source of Vitamin K, helps process calcium and keeps your bones strong. Strongs bones help fight against osteoporosis and bone fractures. Eat them raw with hummus, grill as a side dish, throw into a stir-fry!
Green pepper – Fun Fact: green peppers are high in iron but also high in Vitamin C which helps with the absorption of iron! Double Bonus here! Eat raw with hummus dip or throw into a salad for some added crunch, stuff with lean proteins & whole grains, or steam them up and add to any dish for some added flavor.
Artichoke – Fun fact: artichoke is listed as #7 on the USDA’s top 20 antioxidant-rich food lists! Low in fat, high in fiber, loaded with vitamins C & K this fun to each vegetable will keep you entertained as well as fulfilled! Can be served hot or cold, eat petal by petal!
Kiwi – This cute little sweet & tangy fruit is packed with Vitamins C, E & K, along with folate & potassium. This little guy is overflowing with antioxidants and fiber – keep that digestive tract on point! Slice in half and scoop out the flesh, or get the most nutrition out of kiwi and eat it with the skin on, just like an apple! Add to smoothies, parfaits and salsas!
Zucchini – This versatile squash is packed with many vitamins and minerals that help with bones, thyroid & prostate. Zucchini is commonly cooked, but many consume it raw as well but adding to salads, using in dips, or even spiralized to make noodles. Don’t leave out baked goods, Zucchini adds and holds moisture into even the richest desserts & breads. Add to brownies, chocolate cake, or muffins, and be amazed at the wholesome deliciousness!
Spinach – packed with vitamins and minerals kale’s younger brother can be just as powerful. You won’t find another vegetable as rich in Vitamin K – which is great for maintaining bone health! Raw spinach trumps cooked spinach but either way is delicious & nutritious! Add to smoothies, juices, salads, sandwiches, meatloaf, meatballs – the hidden possibilities are endless!
Green beans – a good source of Vitamin C, fiber, and Vitamin K! Super tasty low-calorie vegetable. Works as a great side to any dish raw, blanched, or steamed.
Brussel sprouts – these little guys are packed with key essential vitamins & minerals plus help with inflammation and controlling blood sugar. The most popular way to eat these sprouts is tossed in olive oil, salt, and pepper then roasted, but they can be enjoyed boiled, baked, or sauteed!
Broccoli – High in Vitamins A, C, E, K, and many of the B vitamins, rich in fiber and protein. Best when eaten raw or steamed (3 minutes only to benefit from most nutrients) but also can be enjoyed roasted.
Avocado – Omega 3 healthy fats! Hooray!! Great source of vitamins C, E, K & B-6, loaded with potassium & fiber! Enjoy raw, right from the rine, add to toast, scrambled eggs, swap out for mayonnaise on a sandwich, make some homemade guacamole, add to smoothies, soups & salads!
Cucumbers – low in calories and a great source of Vitamin K, in just one cup you will get 14-19% of your RDA for the day! Add to any salad or vegetable tray, rolls-ups, and smoothies. Feeling fancy? Add a couple of slices to your water and sip away!
Cabbage – loves the heart! Can raise the levels of beta-carotene and other heart-protective antioxidants, helps fight the hardening of arteries, eases inflammation which in turn helps prevent heart disease. Roast it, stir-fry it, shred it and add it to salads.
Celery – packed with antioxidants that protect cells, blood vessels, and organs. There are approximately 12 kinds of antioxidants found in one single stalk! Not a fan of the stringy consistency when eaten raw? That’s ok, there are many ways to enjoy the nutritional benefits of celery. You can braise it, drink it, add it to soups and dips, mix it to chicken or tuna salad for the added crunch!
Romaine Lettuce – Low in fiber and calories, but high in vitamins & minerals especially Vitamins K & A. Great salads, or mixing into other salad mixes, swap it out for bread or wraps, add into slaws!
