Eating several servings of a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables a day helps maintain good health, protect against the effects of aging, and reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.

Have some fun with the red and green colors during the winter holiday season. Here’s a list of red and green fruits and vegetables from the National Cancer Institute at http://bodyandsoul.nih.gov

Tomatoes spaghetti sauce tomato juice tomato soup red peppers red onions beets red cabbage kidney beans apples pink grapefruit red grapes strawberries cherries watermelon raspberries cranberries pomegranates.

Leafy greens asparagus green peppers broccoli green beans peas cabbage green onion Brussels sprouts okra zucchini Chinese cabbage green apple green grapes honeydew melon kiwifruit limes

Some quick red and green fruit/vegetable combos include:

Red and green apple slices surrounding your favorite fruit dip like a wreath.

Cole slaw with red apple chunks.

Cole slaw with cherry tomato or grape tomato halves.

Tomato soup garnished just before serving with a sprinkle of green onion stems, sliced into small rings.

Small sprigs of red and green grapes used as an edible garnish around a holiday meat platter.

Peas garnished with bits of pimiento.

Pomegranate juice garnished with a slice of lime.

Juicy pomegranate seeds tossed atop a green salad — for information on how to eat a pomegranate, visit the Pomegranate Council Website at www.pomegranates.org/nomess.html

Pizza with a tomato sauce topping and chopped green peppers.

As a healthy holiday gift, give a colorful fruit basket.

To find recipes featuring red and green colored fruits and veggies:

Search by color on the Produce for Better Health Foundation “Fruits and Veggies - More Matters” Website at: http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/?page_id=10

Check out the recipes on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Website at http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnparecipe/recipesearch.aspx

To learn about the other colors and how many fruits and veggies you need daily based on your age, sex and physical activity, use the quick calculator at: http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov