Yes, there are some new terms describing our fruits and veggies these days, at least new to most of us. Terms like “Nutrient Dense” and “High Brix” are being used more and more to describe vegetables that are high in quality and rich in natural sugars and minerals.

Wow! What a concept. This is really good news because the quality of our produce is never really discussed in advertisements. All that seems to matter is appearance, shelf life and cost. Think about it, isn’t it odd that quality is not talked about more. Perhaps the reason is that quality is assumed based on appearance, or perhaps it isn’t common knowledge that quality is easy to measure. Actually vegetable quality is very easy to measure, the grape and orange industry have been doing this for years if not decades.

One only has to use a refractometer.

To use a refractometer is quite simple actually, it does not even require batteries. To measure the quality of a tomato, just squeeze a few drops of the tomatoes juice on the lens of the refractometer.Then close the clear cover and put your eye on the viewer while holding it to a source of light. There will be a blue area and a clear area…where the two areas meet there will be a number which is what your reading is. This is called your “brix” reading. The higher the brix the better if is for you among other things. Here is a picture of what you may see..

My wife saw a show on Oprah a few months back that basically confirmed my beliefs in health and longevity. There was a man on it who ate a big bowl of fruit for breakfast, a big salad for lunch, and a regular supper each day. He didn’t need to count calories with this method.  He is 65 years old but apparently has the health of a 20 yr old. Wow!

Here is the link to an article….a good read.

http://www.oprah.com/printarticlefull/oprahshow/20090305-tows-oz-calorie-restriction

So, for now,  I have decided to have at least one meal a day of fruit only (breakfast) or veggies only (lunch or supper), and at least 8 cups of water per day. This will allow me to reduce my calorie intake and to increase my fibre intake without the burden of counting calories each day.  When I am ready I will upgrade to 2 meals per day of veggies or fruit…..but not yet.