Hey, parents.
Trusty here.
You know what I hear constantly from homeschool parents in the Who's Smarter community?
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That's ixl.com slash smarted.
And now it's time for Who Smarted?
Psst, hey, smarty pants, it's snack time.
See if you can guess what I'm munching on.
Nope, not badly burnt pizza.
That is me biting into a delicious, juicy apple.
A green apple, to be exact.
Of course I love other apples too, like Honey Crisps, Sun Crisps Fuji, Golden Delicious, to name but a few.
Which do you prefer?
I also love pairing apple slices with other tasty treats like cheese or peanut butter.
Oh, did someone say snack time?
How about some nice delicious meat cake?
No offense, Grandma, but I've been trying to eat healthier.
I think I'd like to stick to mostly fruits and vegetables for snack time.
Oh, maybe I can make you a delicious veggie meat cake or a sweet, fruity dessert meat cake.
Um, actually, I was going to go to the supermarket and just stock up on fruits and veggies.
Oh, good.
I'll go with you, and then we can have meatcake after.
Um... Do I smell a meatcake burning in the oven?
Oh, no.
I better go check.
Now's my chance.
Ah, here we are.
The supermarket, a.k.a. the grocery store.
Okay, smarty pants, I've got my shopping cart and I'm entering the produce section.
This is the part of the supermarket where you'll find all the fresh fruits and veggies.
It's usually the first section of the store when you walk in.
Any guesses why?
Seeing all the bright colors and carefully arranged fresh fruits and veggies sets a positive tone and encourages shoppers to spend more time and money in the store.
Hmm, looking around at all these mist-covered veggies has put me in the mood for a nice, healthy salad.
What to put in it?
Hmm well lettuce, of course, and some carrots, red cabbage, a tomato.
Those are all delicious savory vegetables.
Ahem, smarty pants, did you hear someone?
There doesn't seem to be anyone else here in the produce aisle.
But I could have sworn I distinctly heard... Ahem!
Ahem!
Hello?
Who's there?
Reveal yourself!
I would, but your hand is covering me!
My hand?!
!
There's nothing in my hand but a tomato I was considering buying for my salad.
Yeah, that's me.
And for the record, you don't need to squeeze me like an avocado to see if I'm ready to eat.
If I'm red, I'm ripe.
Wow, a ripe red tomato is talking to me.
How exciting.
Do you have a name?
Yeah, Tom.
Hi, Tom Tomato.
I'm the trusty narrator.
Sorry about the excess squeezing.
I'm making a vegetable salad and I just wanted to make sure all of my vegetables were ready to eat.
You being one of them.
Listen, trusty.
I'm not upset about all the squeezing.
Or even the eating part.
Okay, but you do seem annoyed about something.
Smarty Pants, it's not just me.
The thing I'm annoyed about is a classic mistake that happens all the time.
Oh, Smarty Pants, any idea what my mistake was?
You might have to help us out here, Tom Tomato.
Yeah, I get mistaken for a vegetable all the time.
But the truth is, I'm a fruit.
What?
Tomatoes are fruits?
But...
But tomatoes are used in veggie salads and veggie sandwiches.
I just assumed they were vegetables.
Nope.
Tomatoes are fruit.
You know why?
Um, clearly not.
Well, I'll tell you all about it.
In fact, I'm willing to bet I'm not the only food in your salad.
That's actually a fruit that you thought was a vegetable.
Oh boy, who knew there was so much drama in the produce section?
I wonder what other fruits I've mistaken for vegetables.
And what makes a fruit a fruit and a vegetable a vegetable anyway?
And why do so many of us get them confused?
Get ready for a healthy whiff of Science and History on... The Smart Act!
Who's smarted?
Who's smart?
Is it you?
Is it me?
Is it science or history?
Listen up, everyone.
We make smarting lots of fun on Who's Smarted?
Okay, Tom, what makes you a tomato, a fruit, and not a vegetable?
Smarty Pants, do you know?
To answer that, let's get some basic definitions out of the way, alright?
Fruits and vegetables are both parts of plants that you eat.
However, they're different in some key ways.
Smartypants, any guesses what one of the main differences between fruits and veggies is?
Is it A, the seeds, B, the colors, or C, the sweet taste?
The answer is A, the seeds.
Fruits are the sweet or sour part of a plant that contains seeds or a pit, which is essentially a giant seed.
Aha!
So because tomatoes have little seeds, that makes them a fruit?
Now you're getting it.
In fact, the fruit is the part of the plant that holds the seeds.
Whoa.
Smarty Pants, true or false?
Even though many fruits, such as apples, oranges or bananas, are sweet, a fruit doesn't have to be sweet.
The answer is true.
Yep, some fruits are sour, like lemons, pineapple, or cranberries.
Fruits are often eaten raw as a snack or dessert, or used in cooking to add sweetness or flavor.
And what about vegetables?
Vegetables, on the other hand, are the savory parts of plants, such as edible leaves, roots and stems.
Some common vegetables include carrots, broccoli, and spinach.
Vegetables are often cooked and eaten as a side dish or part of a main course.
Which explains why veggies are usually eaten with your meal, while fruits are usually eaten after a meal, like a dessert or as a snack.
That's right.
Oh, look.
Here's someone else who wants to meet you.
Hi, trusty.
I'm Carla the Cucumber.
Hi, Carla.
At least I know where I stand with you.
A cucumber is definitely a vegetable, right?
Smarty Pants, what do you think?
Nope.
I, too, am a fruit.
Yikes.
Cucumbers are fruits too?
Have all my veggie salads been secretly fruit salads?
It's looking that way.
And why is a cucumber a fruit?
Smarty pants, say it with me.
Because cucumbers have seeds.
Yep.
Cucumbers and tomatoes both have seeds inside of us.
Fun fact, only one fruit has its seeds on the outside.
Any guess what it is?
Ooh, smarty pants, what do you think?
What is the only fruit with its seeds on the outside?
Here's an audio hint.
Um, a smoothie.
Not quite, but it could be in a smoothie.
Oh, I know.
That's the sound of a straw.
And a straw berry has seeds on the outside.
Smarty pants.
Very good if you got that one.
Besides tomatoes and cucumbers, any other secret fruits hiding among the veggies?
Well, if a cucumber is fruit, then a pickle made from cucumbers is also a fruit.
And then there's green beans and avocados.
Both are fruits, often mistaken for veggies.
My world is seriously being turned upside down.
But wait, there's more.
More?
Don't forget eggplants.
Some are squashes like zucchini, pumpkin, and bell peppers.
Doesn't matter if they're green, red, orange, or yellow.
All fruits.
Same goes for spicy peppers.
Like jalapeno, serrano, cayenne, and ghost peppers.
Mind blown.
Okay okay, let's talk about the differences between fruits and vegetables in terms of nutritional content.
Smarty Pants, which is higher in natural sugar, fruits, or veggies?
The answer is fruits.
Fruits are generally higher in natural sugars, such as fructose, which give them their sweet taste.
They're also a great source of vitamins and minerals, particularly vitamin C, potassium.
Vegetables, on the other hand, are usually lower in sugar and higher in in.
What smarty pants?
Is it a salt, b pepper or c fiber?
The answer is c fiber.
But what is fiber?
Fiber is kind of the opposite of juicy.
Think of raw carrots, broccoli and spinach.
Not much juice, right?
But they are packed with vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, K, and folate.
All important ingredients for keeping your body in good working condition.
So are all of the fruits and vegetables you see at the supermarket from the same farm or farms close to where you live.
Nope.
The fruits and vegetables at your local supermarket or grocery store are usually delivered from far away by truck, ship or trains.
The only produce in the supermarket grown near your house is marked as local.
Meaning grown within a day's trip to your grocery store.
Gotcha.
But wait, if they're shipped from far away, why aren't they all mushy and rotten?
Well, the different companies that grow these fruits and vegetables use different methods to keep them fresh.
Some use chemicals to slow down the bugs and mold. that cause mushiness or rot.
Other companies pick their fruits and veggies before they're ripe and let them ripen on the way to the grocery store.
Smarty Pants, I'm sure you know what ripe means.
When a fruit or vegetable is ripe, does it mean A rotten, B ready to be eaten or C hard and not ready to cook?
Of course, Smarty Pants, the answer is B, ready to be eaten.
A great example is the banana.
I'm sure you've seen green bananas at the store.
If you've ever tried to eat one, yuck.
Not to mention, you'd probably get a bellyache.
But when they ripen and turn bright yellow, they're ready to be eaten.
But if they ripen too much, they turn black and rotten.
You'll start to see fruit flies and mushy slime.
Also, yuck!
Yeah, there's a tight window for bananas.
Avocados, too.
It's also good to know that citrus fruits like lemons, limes and oranges don't ripen after you pick them.
But bananas, apples, and pears keep on ripening after being picked.
Good to know.
So here's a question I've always wondered.
What is technically better for you, fruits or vegetables?
The answer is... Coming right up after this quick break, and a word from our sponsors.
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Now back to Who Smarted?
So, Smarty Pants, what do you think?
Which do you think is healthier for you, fruits or vegetables?
The answer is both.
Tom's right.
You really can't go wrong with either fruits or veggies.
Both are important for a healthy diet.
And eating a variety of fruits and vegetables can help provide your body with the nutrients it needs to function properly.
Smartypants, how many times a day should kids eat fruits and vegetables?
Is it three, ten, or fifty?
Well, experts recommend getting at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
Except in certain circumstances, you really can't have too many fruits or veggies.
If only that were true about pizza.
Anyway, we talked about all the different fruits that get mistaken for vegetables.
Are there any vegetables that people mistake for fruits?
Not really the vegetable.
Rhubarb, which looks a lot like celery and is sweet and used to make yummy desserts, is often thought of as a fruit, but it's actually a plant stem and doesn't have seeds inside, so definitely a vegetable.
Wow, I gotta say this has been one informative trip to the supermarket.
Don't you agree, smarty pants?
Who knew there was so much to learn about fruits and veggies?
You're kidding, right?
Uh, about what?
That this is all there is to learn.
We've got more fun facts about fruits and vegetables, if you're into it.
Are you kidding?
I love fun facts, and so do the smarty pants and smarty parents.
Go ahead, hit me with some.
Sure thing.
Hey, trusty, did you know that bananas are berries, but strawberries aren't?
Excuse me?
Berries are fruits that originate from one flower with one ovary, which has lots of seeds, but despite having berry in their names, strawberries and raspberries are not berries at all, But bananas eggplants, tomatoes and pomegranates are berries.
True or false, smarty pants?
All berries are fruits.
The answer is true.
But get this.
Berries, by definition, have their seeds on the inside.
But like we said earlier, a strawberry holds their seeds on the outside.
Which means a strawberry is a fruit, but not a berry.
And a banana is because it has tiny seeds inside that you barely notice.
Exactly.
Okay, here's another one.
Which fruit has the most vitamin C?
Hmm.
What do you think, smarty pants?
Are you thinking the same thing I'm thinking?
It's got to be the orange, right?
They always say to eat oranges for vitamin C and that oranges and orange juice is good at chasing away a common cold.
Wrong.
Turns out kiwis contain more vitamin C than oranges.
In fact.
This fuzzy little green fruit packs the biggest nutritional punch of any fruit in your produce aisle.
Whoa.
And kiwis are known as a superfood with twice the vitamin C of an orange.
Not to mention they are high in potassium and low in salt, and are packed with other vitamins, minerals and heart-healthy nutrients too.
Wow, I'm going to add kiwis to my shopping list.
Okay, last fun fact, and it's a stinker.
Trusty, what is the smelliest fruit in the world?
Um, whatever fruit my grandma stuffs inside her dessert meatcake?
Ha, good one.
The answer is durians.
Durian, spelled D-U-R-I-A-N, grow on the Durio tree in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.
It's about the size of a football and covered in spikes.
The fruit inside is slippery.
It can smell like rotten eggs, sweaty socks, or even garbage.
How wild is that?
Uh, yeah, that doesn't sound particularly appealing.
I think I'll stick to my apples, carrots, broccoli, and berries.
Ooh, and kiwis.
I think I see them over there.
Oh, hey, trusty.
There you are.
I'm thinking of making a pan-Asian dessert meat cake.
Have you seen where they keep the durian?
Oh, boy.
I'm going to finish my food shopping later.
Gotta go.
A super shout out to Andre in Albany, New York, who loves smarting to Who Smarted and even plays each episode multiple times a day in the playroom, during dinner and on car trips.
Wow.
Now that is what we call a super smarty fan.
Thanks, Andre.
This episode, Fruits and Veggies, was written by Melissa Del Toro Schaffner and voiced by Melissa Del Toro Schaffner, Adam Dragonfruit Davis and Jerry Kolber.
Technical direction and sound design by Josh Honeydewhan.
Our associate producer is Max Leachy Kamaski.
The theme song is by Brian's Sweet Potato Suarez, with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex-Davis.
Who Smarted? was created and produced by Adam Tex-Davis and Jerry Kolber.
This has been an Atomic Audio production.
Hey there, smarty pants, smarty parents, and smarty families.
I've got some exciting news to share.
And best of all, it's all because of you.
Thanks to all of you listening, laughing and smarting with us.
Whosmarted is now over 1 million downloads a month.
If that sounds like a lot, that's because it is.
I couldn't be happier to share this news with you, our smarty fans.
But that's not all.
I want to celebrate this moment with you by offering 50% off a Whosmarted Plus subscription.
For the next week, a yearly subscription to Who Smarted Plus is half off the regular price.
You'll get a year of bonus smarting and ad-free listening for only $19.99.
Doing some quick math, that's only $1.66 a month.
Look, I can't even get a slice of decent pizza for that.
To help support Who Smarted and get weekly subscriber-only episodes and ad-free listening for 50 off, Go to whosmartedcom, click subscribe to Whosmarted Plus, choose the annual plan and enter promo code SMART20.
That's whosmartedcom.
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Thank you so much for being part of our Smarty family and smarting with us.
Once again, that's whosmarted.com.
Subscribe to Whosmarted Plus, choose the annual plan, and use promo code SMART20 for 50% off.
But hurry, this offer expires soon.
