Fruits and Vegetable Facts

Fruits & Vegetables are the most often overlooked portion of our daily food intake. Learn how fruits and vegetables work and how to eat more of them everyday.

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Why You'll Go Bananas for Mangosteens

Sometimes referred as the 'queen of fruit,' the mangosteen has a soft white interior, a mild taste and is notoriously difficult to find in the U.S. Here's why.

By Alia Hoyt May 27, 2020 Food Facts & Fun / Fruits & Vegetables

Brace Yourself: Bananas Are Berries, Strawberries Aren't

If bananas are berries and strawberries and raspberries are not, what in the world is a berry anyway?

By Michelle Konstantinovsky Jan 7, 2020 Food Facts & Fun / Fruits & Vegetables

Jackfruit Is a Stinky, but Otherwise, Perfect Fruit

Its smell is notorious. But get past that and the jackfruit is versatile, easy to grow and packs a nutritional punch that's hard to beat.

By Adina Solomon Jul 30, 2019 Food Facts & Fun / Fruits & Vegetables

Is Guava the Superfood You're Not Eating?

This tropical fruit, grown all over the tropics, has lots of health benefits. Even its leaves get in on the act.

By Alia Hoyt Jul 29, 2019 Food Facts & Fun / Fruits & Vegetables

Blue Java: The Banana That Tastes Like Ice Cream

This banana has soft, sweet flesh and tastes a lot like vanilla custard or ice cream. One scoop or two?

By Tara Yarlagadda Apr 15, 2019 Food Facts & Fun / Fruits & Vegetables

Melon Rinds, Carrot Tops and Other Produce 'Waste' You'll Enjoy Eating

We throw out tons of perfectly good parts of vegetables and fruits often because we don't know what to do with them. But there's a lot of treasure in the trash.

By Alia Hoyt Nov 20, 2018 Food Facts & Fun / Fruits & Vegetables

Who's Eating These Hot-as-Hellfire Peppers?

It's not just people with an affinity for hot sauce. The real answer will probably surprise you.

By Shaun Chavis Jul 10, 2018 Food Facts & Fun / Fruits & Vegetables

So That's Where Baby Veggies Come From!

Little tiny vegetables seem to pop up everywhere these days, but where do they come from?

By Laurie L. Dove Mar 20, 2018 Food Facts & Fun / Fruits & Vegetables

Calling a Watermelon 'Seedless' Is Kind of False Advertising

Don't let 'seedless' watermelons fool you — even though they may not prompt constant spitting, they really do have seeds.

By Kate Kershner Jul 10, 2017 Food Facts & Fun / Fruits & Vegetables

Why aren't peanuts classified as nuts?

If peanuts are technically not nuts, what are they?

By Debbie Swanson Food Facts & Fun / Fruits & Vegetables

Foodstuff: The Sexiest Vegetable

Kale is a descendant of ancient cabbage. Learn more about kale in this humorous video from HowStuffWorks.

Food Facts & Fun / Fruits & Vegetables

Why does kale make you gassy?

Kale has become the little black dress of the culinary world: chic, understated and perfect for nearly every occasion. But it comes with a not-so-elegant side effect. We'll — ahem — get to the bottom of why kale makes you so gassy.

By Laurie L. Dove Food Facts & Fun / Fruits & Vegetables

What's the difference between a fruit and a vegetable?

Discerning between a fruit and a vegetable may seem simple: Fruits have seeds and vegetables don't. This works great if you're a botanist, but not so well if you're not. We'll finally tell you which category tomatoes fall into (or maybe we won't).

By Laurie L. Dove Food Facts & Fun / Fruits & Vegetables

Why do some fruits have starch?

If you can't get enough of starchy foods, you don't need to limit yourself to potatoes and squash. Fruits have starch, too! We'll tell you why, and also reveal the starchiest fruit of them all.

By Laurie L. Dove Food Facts & Fun / Fruits & Vegetables

Are we in a bananapocalypse?

If bananas are your favorite fruit, you may soon pick up a bunch that just seems ... different somehow. The culprit: a fungus that's killing the Cavendish.

By Laurie L. Dove Food Facts & Fun / Fruits & Vegetables

10 Ways to Cook Kale

Kale packs a nutritional wallop -- 1,300 percent of your daily vitamin K, for starters -- and is incredibly versatile and easy to cook. Here are 10 ways to cook kale.

By Alison Cooper Food Facts & Fun / Fruits & Vegetables

The Sweet Potato: 5 Ways to Spice up This Sweet Spud

Sweet potatoes have been around a long, long time, but it seems like they're just now getting the fanfare they deserve. If you'd like to add this good-for-you vegetable to your diet, here are five ways to liven it up.

By Emilie Sennebogen Food Facts & Fun / Fruits & Vegetables

How to Know What Tomato to Use for That Dish

It's hard to imagine the American diet without tomatoes. But there are so many different varieties, and it can be hard to tell what kind to use for certain dishes.

By Christine Venzon Food Facts & Fun / Fruits & Vegetables

Can you substitute tomato paste for tomato sauce?

Next time you're at your local grocer, cruise down the canned vegetable aisle and take a look at how many ways they've come up with to can a tomato. Diced, stewed, whole, sauced. But can one substitute for the other? After all, they're all tomatoes, right?

By Sara Elliott Food Facts & Fun / Fruits & Vegetables