Orange foods can help you ward off scary things

By ALLISON ASKINS - aaskins@thestate.com

Vegetable du jour: Pumpkins.

You’ll find them carved with spooky faces and lighted with candles on front stoops all over town tonight.

But did you realize how good pumpkins are for you to eat, too?

In fact, all orange fruits and vegetables are packed with nutrients and phytochemicals that play a part in fighting off disease. Unless you overdo them with brown sugar or maple syrup, they’re also low in calories and high in vitamins.

So, as we continue our series about adding color to our plates in a salute to good health, consider orange foods.

Nature’s yummy offerings such as pumpkins, sweet potatoes, oranges and carrots are not only full of vitamins, they’re also packed with fiber.

According to the Produce for Better Health Foundation, orange foods contribute to heart and vision health while also strengthening our immune systems. They may also lower the risk of some cancers.

Foods such as carrots, pumpkins and winter squashes can be baked in the oven or pureed in soups. Fruits such as apricots, oranges, peaches and nectarines are delicious eaten fresh, chopped into salads or blended into a cozy batch of muffins.

We’ve included recipes for a variety of these options.

So, tonight, when you’re out haunting the neighborhood, give those jack-o-lanterns a knowing smile, and promise yourself you’ll replace that candy corn with a baked carrot or two in the weeks ahead.

Reach Askins at (803) 771-8614.