Trader Joe's

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Eat More Fruits and Vegetables Every Day

Everyone benefits from eating more fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are nutrient all-stars, packed with naturally occurring antioxidants, phyto-nutrients, vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, water and complex carbohydrates. Research has shown that people who eat lots of fruits and vegetables every day as part of a healthful diet are likely to have reduced risk of chronic diseases as well as increased energy. And, eating more fruits and vegetables instead of high-fat foods may make it easier for people to maintain their weight because most fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat and low in calories.

For the best variety, eat a colorful array of fruits and vegetables to give your body a wide range of valuable nutrients, like dietary fiber, potassium and Vitamins A and C.

All forms of fruits and vegetables count - fresh, frozen, canned, dried and 100% juice! Choose fruits without added sugar and vegetables without added butter, salt and other high-fat sauces.

How can Trader Joe's help me eat more fruits and vegetables?

We carry a wide variety of dried fruits. Add a handful to your breakfast cereal or oatmeal, or eat as a mid-morning snack. Dried fruits are also nutritious additions to baked goods and salads.

Our frozen fruits make for wonderful toppings for pancakes and waffles. Just defrost, warm if desired and spoon on top.

You'll find many 100% juice options at Trader Joe's. Only 100% juice counts as a serving of fruit or vegetables.

Top our pre-washed, pre-cut, packaged salad mixes with your favorite salad fixins'. Salads make a great addition to lunch or dinner.

Snack on baby carrots and grape tomatoes– try them dipped in one of our delicious salsas, hummus or low fat salad dressings.

Add Trader Joe's IQF (Individually Quick Frozen) frozen fruits to smoothies or as toppings for your yogurt, ice cream, sorbet or cereal.

Use Trader Joe's IQF vegetables to complete your dinner meal. Defrost only as much as you need. They are also great added to soups.

Choose Trader Joe's pizzas with vegetable toppings or add shredded carrots to your favorite pizza.

Sneak some spinach leaves or your favorite Trader Joe's salad mix onto that deli sandwich.

What's a serving?

A general guideline for a serving of fruit is one piece of medium-sized whole fruit, 1/2 cup of cut-up fruit, 1/2 grapefruit or 1/2 cup of 100% fruit juice.

One serving of vegetables is about 1/2 cup cooked, 1 cup raw vegetables, or 3/4 cup of 100% vegetable juice.

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What is blanching?

Blanching is a process by which vegetables are plunged into boiling water for only a few minutes, then removed and immediately cooled to stop cooking.

Many vegetables are blanched before they are frozen. Blanching "sets" the fresh color of vegetables by destroying the natural enzymes that can slowly lead to deterioration of the vegetable. It also keeps the veggies from becoming very soft in the freezer.

A blanched vegetable needs a shorter cooking time than a fresh vegetable.

What Does IQF Mean?

IQF means Individally Quick Frozen.

Products that are IQF are not frozen in a block – they are actually individual frozen pieces! Many of our frozen fruits and vegetables as well as gyoza, shrimp and scallops are IQF. This means that you can open the package and use as much as you want and return the package to your freezer to use another time. No need to defrost the whole package!

Are Trader Joe's Dried Fruits Sulfured?

Some are, some aren't.

Sulfur dioxide is an additive that will be listed in the ingredient statement if present in a product. Sulfur preserves the natural color of the fruit and allows the fruit to have higher moisture content.

More Fruit and Vegetable Tips

What is an antioxidant? Antioxidants, such as Vitamins A, C and E, are plant chemicals found in fruits and vegetables. They help to protect other substances from oxidation, which causes deterioration. In an apple, oxidation may cause an apple to turn brown. In the body, oxidation may cause cellular damage. Choose a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables to give your body a wide range of valuable antioxidants.

What are phytochemicals? Phytochemicals are naturally occurring plant chemicals that have shown promise in supporting heart health, eye health and immunity. They include plant sterols, flavonoids and sulfur-containing phyto-nutrients.

Dietary Fiber Tip: To benefit from the maximum fiber content in produce, eat the edible skins of fruits and vegetables.

Cooking Tip: Save time by using Trader Joe's prewashed bagged salads and pre-cut vegetables. Maximize nutrient retention by steaming or cooking vegetables in small amounts of water.

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