Mom was right about eating your vegetables. There is strong research to show that eating a variety of vegetables can boost your health, and among other things help reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. Vegetables of all colours are a nutritional goldmine. The deeply coloured ones are bursting with antioxidants that fight harmful compounds in our bodies.

What's more, the new Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide focuses on eating lots of vegetables and fruit. How much do you need?

What's a serving?

• ½ cup (125 mL) fresh, frozen or canned
• vegetable or fruit or 100% juice
• 1 cup (250 mL) leafy raw vegetables or salad
• 1 piece of fruit

Beyond peas and carrots...

The Food Guide also recommends choosing at least one dark green and one orange vegetable each day to help you get enough of the B vitamin folate and vitamin A:

• Try dark green vegetables such as: arugula, broccoli, chard, dandelion greens, kale/collards, mustard greens, and salad greens including romaine lettuce, spinach or mesclun mix; and
• Try orange vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, pumpkin or yams.

To find out which vegetables are in season and for great recipes, check out Foodland Ontario: http://www.foodland.gov.on.ca

Ten easy ways to boost your veggie servings

1. Plan some meals around a vegetable main dish, such as a vegetable stir-fry or soup. Then add other foods to complement it.
2. Try a main dish salad for lunch.
3. Include a garden salad with your dinner a few nights a week. To save time, buy salad in a bag.
4. Shred carrots or zucchini into meatloaf, casseroles, quick breads, and muffins.
5. Include chopped vegetables in pasta sauce or lasagna.
6. Order a veggie pizza with toppings like mushrooms, green peppers, and onions, and ask for extra veggies.
7. Use pureed, cooked vegetables such as potatoes to thicken stews, soups and gravies. These add flavor, nutrients, and texture.
8. Grill vegetable kabobs as part of a barbecue meal. Try tomatoes, mushrooms, green peppers, and onions.
9. Top a baked potato with chopped vegetables, salsa, sprinkle with cheese and microwave until cheese melts.
10. Sip on a vegetable cocktail with your meal or snack.

Buying and storing vegetables

1. Use vegetables and fruit that are not damaged or wilted.
2. Keep fruit and vegetables separated.
3. Use plastic bags in the refrigerator. Storing in plastic bags will keep the produce from dehydrating (exception to the rule: use paper bags for mushrooms).
4. Tomatoes have more flavour when ripened and served at room temperature.
5. Leafy greens, broccoli and cauliflower should be kept refrigerated and used within a week.
6. Frozen vegetables and fruit can be kept for up to one year.
7. Date canned goods when you buy them. Eat them within one to two years or before their "use by" date if applicable.
8. Wash all produce thoroughly before eating, peeling, or if you plan on eating them raw.
9. Cut raw vegetables and fruit on clean cutting boards that have not been used to cut or prepare raw meat, poultry or fish.