THINK GREEN: DR. SUESS HAD HIS SAY, BUT TAKE A SECOND LOOK

Think spring, think St. Patrick's Day, think -- what else -- green.

But green food? Dr. Suess had his say, but take a second look.

Produce shelves and grocery freezers are brimming with green vegetables. Some fruits pack their healthy punch within emerald peels.

Plus, with March 17 just a few days away, the appealing hue between yellow and blue can be spied in the most unusual places.

Cakes and cookies, many of them bearing shamrocks, are among the delicacies, which for a few days, are adopting green as their primary color.

At My Daddy's Cheesecake on North Main, "people count on us to have something different," said Manager Ellen Dillon. Cheesecake with green swirls and toppings, green truffles and cream cheese sugar cookies with shamrock icing are among the festive treats found there in honor of the spring holiday.

Many local bakeries are featuring their own versions of tasty green desserts, and there is a primary food group that, for a few days in March, looks great in green.

Serpent bread made green via food coloring is a tradition at Schnuck's, explained Carol Mouser, bakery manager at the South Kingshighway store. The French bread, formed in the shape of a snake, hearkens to Irish lore.

Tasty, melt-in-the-mouth green bagels and green muffins are sure to crop up here and there for the next few days, too.

However, there are other green members of the bread, cereal and rice food group that hold year-round appeal.

Zesty green pasta, which gleans color from spinach, parsley or other herbs, comes in all shapes and sizes. With recommended servings of its food group at six to 11 everyday, there is plenty of opportunity to eat a green food that is low in fat and provides lots of "good, clean carbohydrates," explained Janet Kline, nutrition/health education specialist with the University of Missouri Extension.

But there's no getting away from the fact that most green foods are vegetables. For folks who like green, that's great because when it comes to vegetable consumption, "you just about can't go wrong," said Kay Litwicki, registered dietitian at Southeast Missouri Hospital.

Healthy diet guidelines call for five or more servings a day of fruits or vegetables. That standard breaks down to two-to-four servings of fruits and three-to-five servings of vegetables daily. However, the vegetable category is most often found lacking in Midwest eating habits, Litwicki noted.

That's unfortunate because vegetables provide important vitamins and minerals, particularly vitamin A. Some veggies, such as broccoli, are also good sources for vitamin C. Fiber is another green-vegetable benefit.

Then, there are all-time favorites like green peas, which are good courses for carbohydrates, plus they're low in fat. Lima beans and green beans, and of course, green peppers and cucumbers, are among other green-veggie favorites.

Many kinds of greens -- those deep, green, leafy vegetables like spinach, mustard and collard greens -- are extremely rich in vitamin A, Kline noted. Some are eaten raw, while others are often cooked. Then, there are wild greens, like polk, dandelions and lambs quarter, she added.

When it comes to retaining vegetable vitamin content, preparation is key. Boiling water, Litwicki explained, bleaches nutrients from vegetables. She recommends cleaning raw vegetables with cold water and eating them uncooked whenever possible. "If you're going to cook them, steam them lightly, just till they're tender-crisp," she advised.

If the vegetable is to be cooked in water, limit the water amount and cooking time, Kline suggested.

But vegetables don't have the complete corner on green. Kiwi is one of the few fruits that is green inside and out. Grapes are favorite green fruits among people of all ages, and lots of other fruits, like apples and bananas, sport various shades of green during their ripening process.

While green doesn't work with eggs and ham -- except in children's books -- it does appear quite naturally on many foods integral to a healthy diet. After all, any color that shows up on pistachio nuts and in ice cream must have plenty of appeal.