Why is it important to eat fruits and vegetables in your diet?

There are numerous health benefits to eating a diet full of fruits and vegetables. Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables each day can:

• Lower the risk of some cancers, chronic diseases and conditions.
• Fruits are also a source of dietary fibre.
• Antioxidant vitamins can be found in many fruits and vegetables, such as vitamin A, vitamin E and vitamin C.
• Vegetables and fruits can supply the body of necessary nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and fibre that are vital for the development and maintenance of the human body.
• Many vegetables contain disease-fighting phytochemicals.
• Phytochemicals and other nutrients in plants, may help slow the aging process, and lessen the risk of many ailments including cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, urinary tract infections, and many more.

Phytochemicals is term that is used to describe the fibre, vitamins, sugar, and other components of plants. There are different types of phytochemicals and each works diversely in promoting improved health.

There are 5 main colours of fruits and vegetables: red, purple/blue, orange, green and white/brown. Each colour has phytochemicals that give the vegetables their vibrant colour and some of their health properties.

For instance, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables tend to be very high in beta carotene, while green leafy vegetables are often great sources of calcium and other important nutrients. Consider adding colour to your green salad with a splash of colour in the form of yellow peppers or orange carrot slices?

Red – anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and may help lower the risk of heart disease and cancers. It may also reduce sun related skin damage.

Yellow & Orange – anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, supports eye health and may help reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.

Green – anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, cruciferous vegetables may lower the risk of cancer and heart disease.

Blue & Purple – anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, increases brain function, lowers risk of heart disease & neurological disorders, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancers.

Dark Red – lowers the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and certain cancers.

White & Brown – anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, lowers the risk of heart disease and lowers the risk of colon and other cancers.

Many different factors can affect the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables before they reach your table.

The two most important factors are the time it takes for the food to reach your plate and the traveling conditions it has been subjected to.

The shorter the time frame that the fruit is packed until it reaches your table the better. If you are lucky enough to have a home garden, try to pick your vegetables early in the morning for peak flavour and nutritional value.

The next best choice is to use a local market stand. Generally, the foods they are selling were picked within a few hours of being set out for sale. If there are no local markets in your area, aim for seasonal fresh produce from your local supermarket.

Before any produce reaches your local supermarket, it must first be picked, and packaged. The closer the food was picked to you, the more likely it was picked less time before reaching the stores shelves.

If your produce has a long journey to make, chances are it was picked 7 to 10 days prior to hitting the supermarket shelf.

When any produce is picked from the vine it is at its nutritional peak value. It starts to lose that value as time passes, the more time that passes, and the more value it loses.

The second biggest contributor is handling. If care is taken not to bruise or damage the exterior skin, produce will last longer. Additionally storing a produce at the proper temperature will also help slow down the loss of nutrients.

Here’s where it gets a little tricky, some fruits like temperatures as high as 60 degrees, and other prefer temperatures in the mid 30’s. So, the longer your food is in transit, and the more care that it shown to handling it properly the more packed with nutrients it is likely to be when it hits the shelves of your local supermarket.

It is recommended that adults eat 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

One serving size is considered to be:

• A medium fruit or vegetable, for example an orange, apple or banana
• Two small fruits, such as kiwi or plums.
• ½ cup of fresh, frozen or canned fruits and vegetables.
• ½ cup of 100% juice
• ¼ cup of dried fruit or a cup of green salad

A great way to increase the variety of vegetables you enjoy is to combine fresh, frozen and canned vegetables. While fresh vegetables are generally better and healthier, frozen and canned vegetables can be great alternatives for when the fresh varieties are out of season.

Broccoli

Broccoli is high in dietary fibre and is missing only vitamin B and vitamin D to have a full range of vitamins.

Broccoli has no saturated fat and only some sodium. Cholesterol in broccoli is non-existent.

Broccoli is one of those foods that is good to choose when trying to lose weight.  It even is a good source of protein, which surprises many people. This is helpful to know when one is combining vegetables to form a complete protein source.

Spinach

Cooked spinach is one of the highest-ranking vegetables in providing complete nutrition. It is high in dietary fibre and gets top marks for every other nutrient identified in the diet with the exception of vitamin D and vitamin B12.

Spinach is low in saturated fat and fairly low in cholesterol.  The most outstanding negative feature in consuming spinach is that is contains a significant amount of sodium.

Carrots

Almost everyone is aware that carrots are one of the highest nutritional sources for vitamin A, but carrots are also a source rated as excellent for antioxidants.

Reduced heart disease, cancer protection and increased night vision are all positive qualities associated with this root vegetable.

Many people do not realize that a diet rich in carrots will help to protect a person exposed to second hand smoke from contracting cancer and other diseases associated with cigarette smoking.

Cabbage

Cabbage is part of the cruciferous family of vegetables named because of the cross (crucifix) shaped flowers.

Medical researchers have found that the phytochemicals in cabbage known as indoles inhibit the growth of colon, stomach and breast cancer. On the downside, excessive amounts of cabbage in the diet may lead to problems with the thyroid gland.

Cabbage prepared in coleslaw has significant amounts of iron, vitamin C, potassium, and calcium.

Celery

Celery is one of those foods that most people love or they hate, but there is no question that it is a dieter's friend.

In addition to its very high fibre content, celery is excellent in providing phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, riboflavin, manganese, potassium, folate, and vitamins K, C, and A.

Unfortunately, celery is also high in sodium content which is not the best nutrition happening. Dieters love the food because it contains negative calories.  It actually uses more calories to digest it than you take in by eating it.

Asparagus

Providing almost 60 percent of the recommended daily allowance of folic acid, asparagus plays a starring role of vegetables helpful in prevention of spina bifida.

Asparagus has a wealth of nutrients, dietary fiber and it is low in sodium. Asparagus is another vegetable that contains no cholesterol or fat, making it a dieter's friend.

Sweet Corn

Consuming a diet that includes corn and other foods high in beta-cryptoxanthin, a carotenoid also found in pumpkins and red bell peppers may significantly reduce one's chances of developing cancer in the lungs.

Corn is also beneficial in the amount of fibre that it adds to the diet and in the folate found in corn.

Radish

Radishes are known for the ability to add piquancy to a salad, but they are also good for optimum health in that they contain high dietary fibre, very low fat and cholesterol.

Consuming three radishes raw provides potassium, folate and vitamin C, calcium, vitamin B6 and riboflavin. In addition, radishes provide manganese, copper and magnesium.

Green Beans

Some would argue that green beans are not a vegetable, but a fruit in that they contain the seeds inside the pod in the same way that apple seeds are found within the apple. However, few people would accept green beans as a fruit.

They are excellent choices for obtaining vitamin K, vitamin C, manganese and vitamin A to your diet. In addition, green beans are high in dietary fibre.

Lettuce

Romaine lettuce contains a significant portion of the daily recommended allowance of vitamins K, C and A. It is also noted for the presence of manganese and folate. Since a one cup serving adds only 15 calories to your daily intake, lettuce is an excellent choice for weight reduction.