Take A Food Safari

Alice Henneman, MS, RD, LMNT, Extension Educator for the University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension, has six adventures that you find right at the end of your fork. Use the MyPlate as your personal road map and set off on a series of fabulous food adventures. Resolve to have at least one new food a week. Consider these destinations for your food safari.#1 - Shoot For New Grains.Venture beyond bread for more of your recommended 6 to 11 daily grain servings. Try a new grain or different form of a familiar grain.How about amaranth or barley? Buckwheat and quinoa, though not true grains, also count and may offer new adventures. Check the back of food packages for access to new recipes.Test untried forms of favorite grains. Consider bulgur or couscous from the wheat family. If you’ve always used cornmeal for making cornbread, try cooking polenta instead.#2 - Widen Your Veggie Range.Instead of a baked potato, try a sweet potato; score an “A” for adventure as well as vitamin A. Pep up color and flavor by adding green, yellow and red peppers to your meals. Turn up the heat with hot peppers. (Go easy on your first adventure with the hotter peppers.) Try one of the many new frozen vegetable variety packs.#3 -  Hunt For New Fruits.Take home a new fruit on your next supermarket trip. Try different varieties of old favorites, such as apples. There are any number of varieties out there. Which ones haven’t you tried yet?Make sure you know how to fix the fruit you fancy. Many grocery stores offer information or help from personnel in their produce sections. Explore cookbooks in your local library or google a healthy recipe.#4 - Jump On The Bean Wagon.Black beans, red beans, garbanzo beans, adzuki beans, navy beans. Have you tried beans yet? Serve them as a main dish or serve them on the side. Mix them into salads. Mash them and add a spice for a flavorful dip. Use them straight from the can, or cook up a bag of dried beans. High in fiber, they make a healthy addition to your snacks and meals.#5 - Spice Up Your Bounty.Cruise through the supermarket seasonings section. Buy a flavoring that intrigues you. Check label information for suggested uses and amounts. Spices and herbs are great ways to add flavor when you lower the salt, fat and/or sugar in a recipe.#6 - Encounter Another Culture.Set out on an adventurous cultural expedition without leaving the country. Visit a local ethnic restaurant or try one of a healthy ethnic cookbook for Latin, Mediterranean, Indian or Asian cuisine.