Eating fresh, seasonal produce is a way to incorporate healthy foods into diets, and Kroger is offering advice to help families enjoy flavorful, wholesome meals featuring in-season fruits and vegetables.
“Cooking and eating together as a family can be a rare pleasure,” says Carlo Baldan, group vice president of fresh merchandising for Kroger. “Eating fresh, in-season fruits and vegetables is a healthy and simple way to gather, especially in the summertime. With endless ways to prepare a meal, often highlighting the incredible natural flavors found in Kroger’s produce section is simply the best and made even better together with family.”
The company highlights a variety of summertime produce, including:
- Vegetables — avocados, beets, bell peppers, carrots, celery, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, green beans, okra, onions, peas, summer squash, tomatillos, tomatoes and zucchini.
- Fruits — apples, apricots, bananas, blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, cherries, honeydew melon, lemons, limes, mangoes, peaches, pears, pineapple, plums, raspberries, strawberries and watermelon.
Kroger suggests having fun in the kitchen and exploring how fresh foods impact health and wellness with these tips:
- Eat the rainbow — Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables ranging in colors like red, green, orange, yellow and purple provide maximum nutrition benefits that help fight chronic and preventable diseases. Toss together a crisp salad using vegetables in season such as tomatoes, corn, carrots and cucumbers. The smallest helpers can wash the produce with a thorough check from adults. Little ones can also have fun building the salad, creating their own array of vibrantly colored vegetables.
- Make it a craft — With the help of an adult, build a skewer with prepared onions, bell peppers, zucchini and summer squash. Create fun patterns using the ingredients, rotating colors, shapes and sizes. A few minutes on the grill will keep the vegetables crisp and add a delicious caramelization.
- Experiment with spices and herbs — Dress up fresh items with natural ingredients like rosemary, oregano, paprika, salt, pepper or cumin to bring out the incredible flavors of vegetables such as green beans, eggplant, okra, summer squash and more. Measure out spices and herbs ahead of time for young chefs, allowing them to experiment, taste and season.
- Cool down with dessert — Make simple popsicles using in-season berries and watermelon. Try blending fruits with Greek yogurt, honey and a squeeze of citrus — lemon or lime — for a treat kids will have fun making and eating. Or keep it simple with frozen bananas and let the family pick toppings like peanut butter or dark chocolate.
- Try something new — Kroger says new this summer are super sweet, exceptionally juicy Private Selection Black Diamond Watermelons — ideal for cookouts, snacks and even breakfast. Its limited-time-only Private Selection Hatch Chiles are a seasonal customer favorite straight from the farm fields of Hatch, N.M. Available in mild, medium, hot and extra hot, there are chiles for every palate, the company says.
In addition to fruits and veggies, Kroger says to create a balanced meal with lean proteins like chicken and fish and include heart-healthy grains such as whole wheat pasta, brown rice or quinoa.
Beyond the produce section, Kroger customers can easily find nutrition options by using the OptUP program and checking the FoodHealth Score of their favorite products. Kroger Plus loyalty customers can OptUP their nutrition further by unlocking one free 30-minute dietitian visit for customized product recommendations, meal hacks and delicious, budget-friendly meal planning inspiration to identify new ways to connect with food, the company says.
Many fresh foods, including fruits and vegetables, are eligible for purchase using food and over-the-counter benefit cards. Eligible individuals could include Medicare Advantage members, some Medicaid and some commercial payors, the company says. Recipients of these benefits may use food and over-the-counter benefit cards in store for eligible groceries, over-the-counter medications and more.
