Health Benefits of Diet High in Fruits and Vegetables not only for weight loss but you will get amazing healthy body. Since long ago we know that fruit and vegetables are an important component of a healthy diet and we need to consume it daily but nowadays people are lack of fruit and vegetable consumption. Fruit and vegetable have lots of benefits to our body such as preventing major disease like cancer, CVD disease and other serious disease like diabetes and obesity.According to The World Health Report 2002, low fruit and vegetable consumption is estimated as the cause about 31% of ischaemic heart disease and 11% of stroke through the world and actually by consuming enough fruits and vegetable almost 2.7 people around the world can be saved from such disease.
Fruit and vegetable can add flavour, texture, colour and varieties to your meals and they can be a great and healthy snack to consume. Fruit and vegetable are excellent source of nutrients and they belongs to the food group that shoul be consume by people from any range of age. They also best to consume on any diet type since they contain less calories and great number of antioxidants.
For keeping good health of the body, children, adults and teenagers should consume at least two serves of fruit and five serves of vegies everyday. Dont forget to consume more variety of fruit and vegetable because it is important to balance the nutrients intake. You can choose any raw and dark green vegetable like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, kale, and even other colorful vegetables such as carrot, turnips, brussels sprout etc, and of course choosing fruits is highly recommended by your own favorites. Here are the explanation of what is serving size of vegetable and fruits :
- One serve of vegetable is 75g or about half cup of cooked vegetables, one cup of salad, one medium potato, or half a cup cooked legumes (dried beans, peas or lentils).
- One serve of fruit is 150g or about one medium piece of orange or apple, or two small pieces of apricots or one cup of grapes or berries
Nutritional Value
Fruits and vegetables are a major source of macronutrients and they give lots of benefits to the body. Most fruit and vegetable contains
- Fiber
- Minerals( Calcium, Iron, Copper, Magnesium, Kalium etc)
- Vitamins C,
- Thiamin,
- Riboflavin,
- Vitamin B-6,
- Niacin
- Folate,
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin E.
Fruit and vegetable also high in phytochemicals such as
- polyphenolics,
- carotenoids,
- glucosinolates,
- isoflavon
Since fruit and vegetable contains lots of nutrients, a diet which include high intake of fruit and benefits may served many benefits to our body, below are benefits of diet with high intake of fruit and vegetable:
Benefits for Digestion
- Promotes digestion. Fruit and vegetable are the main source of fiber in healthy diet and consuming fiber can promotes healthy digestion. Fiber in fruit and vegetable can significantly incrrease bowel movement and make the bintestine easier to absorb the nutrients.
- Relieve constipation. If you experience constipation, then consuming fruit and vegetable can be beneficial to get rid constipation. Fiber add bulk to stool and it ease the bowel to move through large intestine or colon.
Benefits for Cardiovascular Health (CVD)
1. Reduce cholesterol
Fiber in fruit and vegetable can bind bad cholesterol or LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein). Consuming some serving of fruit and vegetable daily can help to reduce cholesterol level and prevent the accumulation of cholesterol in the blood vessels.
2. Prevent atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is a disorder which occur in the arteries due to the accumulation of bad cholesterol inside its wall. Fiber and oantioxidant in fruit and vegetable can slightly reduce the chance of building plaque inside arteries wall or known as atherosclerosis.
3. Lower blood pressure
Study reported that consuming fruit and vegetable can lower the blood pressure until 55%. Fruit and vegetable are rich in potassium, Vitamin C, Folate and other nutrients which responsible in controlling blood pressure.
4. Prevent stroke
Stroke is one of leading cause of death among people who suffer from heart disease. Recent study which published in 2009 based on data from the Finnish Mobile Health Examination Survey show that people who consume daily fruit and vegetable has 25-53% lower risk of stroke compared to them who don’t take it regularly.
5. Reduce the risk of heart disease
By reducing cholesterol, preventing atherosclerosis and stroke, fruit and vegetable can slightly reduce the risk of heart disease and any CVD disease by 17% according to research which publish in the “Produce for Better Health Fondation” journal.
Benefits for Degeneratif Disease
1. Prevent oxidative stress
Oxidative stress is a condition that lead to damaging tissue or organs. Oxidative stress is caused by free radicals and it can be a serious thing to be prevented. Fruit and vegetable contains antioxidant that can fight free radicals effects and prevent the organs or tissue from oxidative stress.
2. Prevent diabetes
Diabetes is a metabolic disorder which the body can’t control blood sugar level. Most people in the world suffer from diabetes type 2 ( due to insulin resistance; insulin is a hormon that convert the sugar into glicogen and save it in the body). Fruit and vegetable contains fiber that can slower the sugar absorption and they also have low glicemyc index that prevent the rise of blood sugar level. Study reported that consumption of fruit and diabetes can reduce the risk of developing diabetes up to 22%.
Benefits for cancer
1. Prevent almost types of cancer
Fruit and vegetable can prevent almost any tipes of cancer due to its antioxidant contents. According to many studies, fruit and vegetable can reduce the risk of cancer from 20-70%.
2. Protect from breast cancer
recent studies between 2003-2007 found that high intakes of fruit and vegetable have a significant protective effect from developing breast cancer.fruit and vegetables contains isoflavon that can reduce the level of estrogen which known as a risk factor of breast cancer.
3. Reduce the risk of prostate cancer
Study has proven that consumption of several fruit and vegetable including cruciferous vegetable can decrease the risk of prostate cancer and help to maintain life quality of people who suffer from prostate cancer in early stage.
4. Lower the risk of colon cancer
Study reported that people who consume daily 5.7 servings of fruit and vefetable can lower the risk of colon cancer by 75%.
5. Protect from lung cancer
Recent study found that people who suffer from lung cancer have low fruit and vegetable intake and due to regular smoking. People who smoke and consume fruit and vegetable has better lung function and they can protect the lung from cancer since they contains high antioxidants.
6. Reduce the risk of esophagal cancer
Study also found that regular consumption of fruits and vegetable can reduce the risk of esophageal cancer up to 40-50%.
7. Reduce the risk of oropharyngeal cancer
Antioxidant and other bioactive compounds in fruit and vegetable can reduce the risk of oropharyngeal cancer by almost 50%, according to study that published in the journal of “Produce for Better Health Fondation”
8. Reduce the risk of gastric disease
High intake of fruit and vegetable especially fresh ones including citrus fruits and allium vegetable can particularly reduce the risk of gastric cancer. Several case studies reported that fruit can reduce the risk of gastric cancer by 15-37% while vegetable can lower the risk by 6-34%.
Benefits for Skin and Hair
1. Maintain healthy skin
Fruit and vegetable are high in nutrients such as vitamin that can keep healthy skin. Vitamin C which contained in almost all fruits and vegetable can promotes collagen production and it keep the tissue inside the skin.
2. Brigthen skin
High antioxidant and vitamin in fruit and vegetable can simply make your skin glowing. Some fruit and vegetable can help to increase skin tones and some manufactures have used them as skin care treatment ingredients since long time.
3. Prevent aging in skin
Fruits and vegetable are absolutely best in fight aging effect that caused by antioxidant. Consuming raw, fresh or fruit and vegetable juice can jelp to keep your skin young and prevent from early aging.
4. Prevent acne
Acne is caused by several factors including greasy food, bacteria infection and other factors such as hormones. Fruit and vegetable contains nutrients and antioxidant that can reduce bacteria infection in face and remove acnes. Some fruit and vegetable such as lemon, cucumber and others used to be apply on face as mask and people believd they can remove acnes.
5. Maintain healthy hair and promotes hair growth
Hair can grow better if they get enough nutrients supply. Fruit and vegetable are high in vitamin and they can nourish the hair root and also prevent from hair loss.
Benefits for Mental Health
6. Maintain healthy brain
Regular consumption of fruit and vegetable can significantly protect your brain from damage which cause by free radicals and other harmful substance within the blood.
7. Alleviate stress
Some fruits and vegetable contains magnesium which beneficial in reducing level of stress in people by affecting the nerve, magnesium can help to calm the nerve and alleviate stress from a person.
8. Prevent alzheimer
Alzheimer is a sign of demetia in older age. The antioxidantin fruit and vegetable work together with other nutrients such as Vitamin C and A help to protect the brain from losing the cell and prevent brain damage which lead to alzheimer.
9. Increase cognitive performance
Eating fruit and vegetable can improve brain performance and memory. Study shown that people who consume fruit and vegetable in the morning have btter concentration and memory which performed through work or leaning study.
Benefits in Weight Loss
1. Help in weight loss
One of best benefits of fruit and vegetable is heping us to lose weight. Fruit and vegetable contains less calories but it will make stomach full and it prevent from hunger. Fiber in fruit and vegetable can reduce fat and help the body to remove it from the digestive tract. Lamost all types of diet will suggest you to eat frui and vegetable if you want to lose weight. Study reported that each 100-gram increase in total fruit or total vegetables, there was a reduction of 500 g and 300 g of body weight after 6 months.
2. Prevent obesity
Regular consumption of fruit and vegetable can reduce the risk of weight gain up to 78% and it has been proven by several studies. Obesity has became epidemic mostly in developed countries and it is one of leading cause of heart disease, diabetes and other serious health problem.
Benefits for Immunity
1. Faster healing wound
Vitamin and antioxidant in fruits and vegetable have significant effect in fasten the wound healing. Vitamin C in fruit and vegetable will promotes the production of new cells especially to heal the wound on skin.
2. Fight infection
Antioxidant has great benefits in fighting any infection that occur in the body especailly which caused by bacteria.
3. Improve immune system
Vitamin C, A and E in fruit and vegetable together with other phytochemical can boost immune system and promotes the production of immune cells within the body such as white blood cells, natural killer and lymphcytes. These immune cells are the body soldiers to combat certain disease mostly that caused by microorganism such as virus and bacteria infection.
4. Reduce inflammation
According to study, regular fruit and vegetable intake can reduce inflammation and prevent the body from several accute inflammatory symptoms up to 39% including inflammation that comes along CVD disease.
Other Benefits
1. Promotes better lung function
Antioxidant in fruit and vegetable can promotes better lung function and protect it from damage. Study show that regular consumption of several fruit and vegetable can prevent the development of asthma and other lung disorder.
2. Help liver function
Liver is main body organ that play role to detoxify the body from harmful substance, metabolic waste and toxin. Fruit and vegetable can help to purify the blood and ease the liver function.
3. Promotes kidney function
By purifying the blood and remove toxin from circulation, fruit and vegetable can help kidney work and it prevent the kidney from several disorder such as gall stones.
4. Reduce the symptoms of arthritis
Arthritis is a disorder that occur due to auto immune disease and it trigger joint pain. Fruit and vegetable contains high antioxidant and vitamin that can reduce inflammation in the joint and prevent the body from arthritis.
5. Keeping strong bones
Some fruits and vegetable also contains calcium and magnesium that interact to keep healthy and strong bones. Several cruciferous vegetable such broccoli and cauliflower can help to keep bones mass and prevent from osteoporosis.
6. Increase metabolism
Fruit and vegetable are excellent source of vitamin B complex that can increase metabolism rate and make sure the body got enough energy from those metabolism process since the vitamin B complex are the parts of many metabolic hormones.
7. Prevent scurvy
Fruit and vegetable can slighlty prevent scurvy. Vitamin C contained in most kind of fruita and some kinds of vegetable and it help to keep oral health and prevent bacteria infection inside mouth which lead to scurvy.
8. Improve vision
Plant based food especially fruit and vegetable are the main source of vitamin A and beta carotene especially in those who have bright colour such as yellow or orange color fruitand vegetable. Consuming fruits and vegetable which high in Vitamin A can inmprove eye vision and protect the eyes from any damage such as cataract and macular degeneration.
9. Promotes healthy pregnancy
Pregnancy is a crucial period that required lots of nutrients and food intake. Pregnant women is recomended to consume fruit and vegetable since they contains many nutrients especailly folate that can help the development of normal fetus within the womb. Fiber in fruit and vegetable also can promotes better digestion and keep the mother healthy during pregnancy.
10. Prevent anemia
Fruit and vegetable contains iron that can prevent the body from developing anemia. Anemia is a condition that caused by lack of red blood cell and cause weakness or other problem in human (iron is main mineral that required in red blood cell formation).
11. Promotes sexual desire
Some fruit and vegetables are known as great aphrodisiac such as strawberry, broccoly, and others. They can increase sexual desire and keep the production of normal sexual hormones,
Tips to Consume Fruit and Vegetable
Fruit and vegetable has very low health risk and usually it linked to some disease. If you have certain disease better consult your doctor to know which kinds of fruit or vegetable that you can consume. ( some fruits and vegetable have different nutrient blocker and it can be harmful for some medication such as for people under warfarin (blood clotting) medicine especially those who are high in Vitamin K). Some fruits or vegetable may cause allergy but it is very rare to reported. Below are soe tips that you can use to enjoy better fruit and vegetable
- Pick only fresh fruit and vegetable from market and make sure they are fresh enough and not get spoiled ( you can buy canned, packed, or frozen fruit and vegetable but remember that the nutrients in those fruit and vegie will be different with the fresh ones.)
- Always make sure you clean the fruit and vegetable before consume it
- Some vegetable is best to eaten raw while other are better to be cooked to increase the number of nutrients inside it such as carrot and tomatoes.
- Eat variety of fruit and vegetable to balance the nutrients you got and serve it in different ways
- Use fruit or vegetable to replace some protein inside your meal. You can put spinach or broccoli to your pasta or macaroni in order to reduce the calories but it still make you full
- You can consume fruit and vegetable as snack, it is better than consuming junk food or any chips during your day
- It is better to eat raw fresh fruit and vegetable but if you feel bored you can make it into juice or smoothies.
There are lots of ways to enjoy fruit and vegetable and you can choose it by yourself. Consuming fruit and vegetable will certainly keep you away from disease. So, why dont start a healthy life with consuming more fruit and vegetable?