Healthy Eating: Why Eat Fruits and Vegetables?

Fruit and vegetables must be avital part of your everyday healthy-eating diet.

They are naturally precise and comprise vitamins and minerals that may keep you healthy. They also can assist in guarding against a few diseases.

Most people will gain a lot of health benefits from eating more fruit and vegetables as part of a well-balanced, normal diet and a healthful, energetic lifestyle.

There are many kinds of fruit and veggies available and there are also many ways to consume them.

You must eat at least 5 servings of veggies and two serves of fruit each day. Choose different colours and types. A serving of vegetables is about one cup of raw veggies or half a cup of cooked ones. A serving of fruit is equivalent to one medium piece, 2 small portions of one cup canned (no sugar).

Fruits and vegetables contain many nutrients and minerals that are advantageous for your health. These include vitamin A also known as beta-carotene, C and E, magnesium, zinc, phosphorous and folic acid. Folic acid may additionally reduce blood levels of homocysteine, which is a substance that may be a risk factor for heart disease.

Fruits and veggies are low in fats, salt and sugar. They are a very good supply of dietary fiber. As part of a properly-balanced, ordinary diet and a healthy way of life, a high intake of fruit and veggies can assist you to:

• Reduce excess weight
• Lower your LDL (bad) cholesterol
• Lower your blood pressure

Vegetables and fruit have phytochemicals, or plant chemicals. These biological substances can assist to defend you from illnesses. Scientific research shows that if you often consume fruit and vegetables, you have a decreased risk of:

• Type 2 diabetes
• Stroke
• Heart
• Cancer
• High blood pressure

Types of fruits

Fruit is the fleshy and sweet part of a plant that is fit for human consumption. It generally has seeds. Fruits are normally eaten raw, despite the fact that a few types can be cooked. They are available in a wide form of shades, shapes and flavours. Common varieties include:

• Apples and pears
• Citrus such as oranges and grapefruits
• Apricots, peaches and plums
• Tropical fruits such as bananas and mangoes
• Berries such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries
• Melons such as watermelons and honeydew melons
• Tomatoes and avocados

Types of Veggies

Vegetables are of many types and may be categorized into groups which include:

• Leafygreens like lettuce and spinach a
• Cruciferous like cabbage, Brussels sprouts and broccoli
• Marrow like pumpkin and cucumber
• Rootslike potatoand yam
• Edibles plant stems like celery and asparagus
• Alliumslike onion, garlic and shallots

Legumes

Legumes or pulses have nutrients that are valuable to our health. Legumes should be cooked before they’re eaten, to improves their nutritional aspect and to aid in digestion. Additionally, cooking removes any harmful pollutants. Legumes are available in many forms such as:

• Soy products like tofu and soybeans
• Legume flours like lentil flour and soy flour
• Dried beans and peas like kidney beans, chickpeas and lentils

Fresh beans and peas like green peas and beans