Fruit and vegetables are part of a healthy, balanced diet and can help you stay healthy. It’s important that you eat enough of them.
- A diet rich in vegetables and fruits can lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and prevent some types of cancer. In addition, it helps lower the risk of eye and digestive problems. Eating non-starchy vegetables and fruits like apples, pears, and green leafy vegetables may even promote weight loss.
According to USDA’s dietary guidance, MyPlate, half of our plate should consist of fruits and veggies. For a 2,000-calorie diet, it advised that we eat two cups of fruit and 2.5 cups of veggies each day.
Benefits
According to Harvard Study research, a higher intake of fruits and vegetables will help on reducing the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, and stroke.
1. Fruits and vegetables contain fiber which is important to keep you full, keeps digestion normal, and have been linked to decreasing the risk and effects of several diseases including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and some cancers.
2. Fruits and vegetables contain many of the essential vitamins and minerals that your body cannot produce on its own; this is what makes you feel healthy and energized.
3. Replacing your higher-calorie foods with fruits and vegetables (which tend to be lower in calories) can lead to a lower calorie intake. This, in turn, will also decrease the risk of weight gain, which is associated with several diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes and high blood pressure.
3. The higher the average daily intake of fruits and vegetables, the lower the chances of developing cardiovascular disease. Compared with those in the lowest category of fruit and vegetable intake (less than 1.5 servings a day), those who averaged 8 or more servings a day were 30% less likely to have had a heart attack or stroke.
4. Gastrointestinal health: Fruits and vegetables contain indigestible fiber, which absorbs water and expands as it passes through the digestive system. This can calm symptoms of irritable bowel and, by triggering regular bowel movements, can relieve or prevent constipation. The bulking and softening action of insoluble fiber also decreases pressure inside the intestinal tract and may help prevent diverticulosis.
Tips to eat more vegetables and fruits each day
Add vegetables (and fruits) to breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Eat more veggie soup.
Snack on vegetables.
- Replace fries with Salad
Turn vegetables into noodles.
- Eat vegetables with most meals. It’s easier to eat small portions of vegetables throughout the day.
- Keep raw veggie sticks handy, such as green or red bell peppers, green beans, celery, or carrots.
- Carry dried fruit, such as raisins, dates, or dried apricots, in your purse or pocket.
- Have any type of fresh fruit: grapes, apple, banana, orange, kiwi, etc.
- On hot days, munch on a bowl of frozen fruits or vegetables, such as grapes, pears, or bananas.
- Have a fruit or vegetable salad with dinner.
- Add a side of steamed or microwaved vegetables – frozen veggies are fine!
- When you use the oven to cook your meal, put in a whole potato, sweet potato or yam at the same time.
- Add chopped vegetables like onions, garlic, and celery when cooking soup, stew, beans, rice, spaghetti sauce, and other sauces.
- When making rice, add some frozen peas for the last three minutes of cooking.
References
Vegetables and Fruits
- Farvid MS, Chen WY, Michels KB, Cho E, Willett WC, Eliassen AH. Fruit and vegetable consumption in adolescence and early adulthood and risk of breast cancer: population based cohort study. BMJ. 2016 May 11;353:i2343.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/
40 Delicious and Easy Ways to Eat More Vegetables Every Day
Very informative!