Fruit and Vegetables

Question 1

Describe fruits and vegetables when they’re in season:

Answer 1

At their best condition, nutrition and flavour.

Question 2

What is organic farming like?

Answer 2

Fruits and vegetables are grown using natural fertilisers and pesticides, and on organic land.

Question 3

What are the 10 different vegetable types?

Answer 3

-Tuber
-Root
-Flower heads
-Seeds and pods
-Fungi
-Sea vegetables
-Bulbs
-Stems
-Leaves
-Vegetable fruits

Question 4

What are the 9 different types of fruit?

Answer 4

-Stoned
-Tropical
-Dried
-Miscellaneous
-Currents
-Berries
-Citrus
-Hard
-Nuts
-Soft

Question 5

Why are they important for our diet?

Answer 5

They contain a range of nutrients.

Question 6

How many portions are we advised to eat a day?

Answer 6

5.

Question 7

What do fruit and vegetables add to meals?

Answer 7

As well as nutrients, also colour, flavour and texture.

Question 8

Name 4 examples of a suitable ‘portion’ of fruit or vegetables.

Answer 8

-Fresh, frozen or tinned variants of fruit and vegetables.
-A glass of pure, unsweetened fruit or vegetable juice - only counts as one portion because it lacks fibre.
-Fruit or vegetables cooked in dishes such as soups, stews or pasta dishes.
-Smoothies containing at least 80g of pulped fruit + 150ml juice can count up to 2 portions.

Question 9

-Why do beans and pulses only count as one portion no matter how much you eat?

Answer 9

Because they do not contain the same mixture of vitamins and minerals in other other fruit and vegetables.

Question 10

Explain the importance of unsweetened fruit juice:

Answer 10

-Important source of vitamin C.

-The National Diet and Nutrition survey shows that on average for 4-18 year olds, unsweetened fruit juice provides about 20% of their daily vitamin C intake.

-A 150ml glass of unsweetened orange juice can provide all the vitamin C requirements for a child as well as folate and potassium.

Question 11

Name 3 ways you can eat fruit or vegetables if fresh:

Answer 11

-On their own as snacks
-As an ingredient in a meal/dish
-Vegetables can be an accompaniment to a meal, fruit can be eaten as a dessert.

Question 12

What 12 nutrients are in fruit and vegetables?

Answer 12

-Carbohydrate
-Vitamin C
-Vitamin A
-B vitamins
-Vitamin E
-Vitamin K
-Fibre
-Folate
-Potassium
-Magnesium
-Calcium
-Iron

Question 13

What are carbohydrates found in?

Answer 13

Starch is stored in the roots and tubers of vegetables. Some of the starch is converted to sugar in vegetables such as beetroot, onions, peas and tomatoes. Fruits contain natural sugar and amount vary on type and amount.

Question 14

What is vitamin C found in?

Answer 14

All citrus fruits, berry fruits, blackcurrants, green vegetables, peppers and tomatoes, potatoes too (useful as potatoes are a staple food in the UK diet).

Question 15

What is vitamin A found in?

Answer 15

Fat soluble vitamin A beta carotene is found in dark green vegetables and in red, yellow and orange coloured fruit

Question 16

What B vitamins are in fruit and vegetables?

Answer 16

Mainly riboflavin and nicotinic acid. Pulses are a good source of thiamine

Question 17

What is vitamin E found in?

Answer 17

Green vegetables and peas only contain a little.

Question 18

What is vitamin K found in?

Answer 18

Green vegetables and peas only contain a little.

Question 19

What is folate found in?

Answer 19

Green leafy vegetables; spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts.

Question 20

What is fibre found in?

Answer 20

Found in the skin, seeds, pith and fibrous parts of fruit and vegetables. It forms the part of the plant which gives it strength and structure, for example the stringy bits in celery and in the skin of potatoes.

Question 21

What is potassium found in?

Answer 21

Bananas, potatoes, broccoli, parsnips, brussel sprouts.

Question 22

What is magnesium found in?

Answer 22

Leafy green vegetables like spinach.

Question 23

What is calcium found in?

Answer 23

Leafy green vegetables; broccoli, cabbage, okra.

Question 24

What is iron found in?

Answer 24

Green leave vegetables; watercress, curly kale. Also in dried fruit like raisins or dried apricots.

Question 25

What does the green colour in leafy vegetables come from?

Answer 25

Chlorophyll.

Question 26

What does the yellow/orange colour in fruit and vegetables come from?

Answer 26

Carotenoids.

Question 27

What does the red/blue colour in some fruit and vegetables come from?

Answer 27

Water-soluble pigments called anthocyanins.

Question 28

What causes fruit to become sweeter over-time?

Answer 28

Plants produce starch during photosynthesis and in unripe fruit most of the carbohydrate is in the form of starch. As fruit ripens, starch is converted to sucrose and then to glucose and fructose. Fruit then becomes sweeter to the taste.

Question 29

How should you choose fruit and vegetables when buying it?

Answer 29

-Choose ripe, fresh looking fruit with no blemishes, mould or bruising.
-Choose crisp, firm vegetables. Avoid vegetables that look damaged, mouldy or wilted.
-All fruits and vegetables should be a good colour.

Question 30

Why should fresh fruit be used very quickly once it is picked or bought?

Answer 30

All fruit continues to ripen after it has been picked. During the ripening process, fruit takes in oxygen, gives off carbon dioxide and warms up.

Question 31

When should they ideally be consumed?

Answer 31

Within a few days of purchase because they will be at their freshest and most nutritious.

Question 32

Where should all vegetables be stored?

Answer 32

In a cool, dark place

Question 33

Where should leaves be kept and when should they be eaten?

Answer 33

Leaves such as spinach, cabbage, spring greens and broccoli should be kept in a salad drawer in the fridge and should be eaten within 2 or 3 days of picking or purchase.

Question 34

Where should root vegetables, bulbs and tubers be stored and for how long?

Answer 34

They will keep in a dry, airy place for several months. Try and store root vegetables separately in a dark, dry place.

Question 35

What are 5 processed forms of fruit and vegetables that are an alternative to fresh?

Answer 35

-Pre-prepared fresh
-Canned
-Frozen
-Dried
-Juiced

Question 36

Give 3 reasons why fruit and vegetables are processed:

Answer 36

-Convenience

-All year round availability

-Increased shelf life

Question 37

Why are canned and frozen fruits good?

Answer 37

They are generally processed and packaged within hours of being picked, ensuring that most vitamins are retained. Canning and freezing also protect food from organisms that cause food spoilage.

Question 38

What is the shelf life of canned fruit and vegetables?

Answer 38

2-4 years.

Question 39

What are some common methods for preservation and processing of fruit and vegetable juices?

Answer 39

-Canning
-Pasteurisation
-Concentration
-Freezing
-Evaporating

Question 40

How are fruits dried?

Answer 40

The moisture content is removed with hot air. They have a long shelf life, as long as the packaging is unopened and not damaged.

Question 41

Why should fruit and vegetables be peeled as thinly as possible if needed to be peeled?

Answer 41

There are vitamins and minerals in the flesh that are very close to the skin.

Question 42

What is the best way to cook vegetables and why?

Answer 42

Steaming, as it retains most vitamins, colour, flavour and texture.

Question 43

What are 7 methods of cooking vegetables?

Answer 43

-Baking
-Boiling
-Braising
-Frying
-Grilling
-Roasting
-Steaming

Question 44

What are 2 changes that take place to vegetables during cooking?

Answer 44

-Texture is softened as cooking softens the walls of cells in plant tissue. This releases water inside the cells and softens the texture

-Nutritional value declines: from cutting and bruising, exposure to oxygen and light releases enzymes that destroy vitamin C. Vitamin C, being water soluble, releases into cooking liquid.