GOT FRUITS & VEGETABLES?
We all try to include both fruits and vegetables in our daily diet. But it seems most of us don’t include enough. Even though I usually have half a banana at breakfast, a small apple in the afternoon and broccoli, carrots or asparagus (or in season vegetables from my garden) with dinner it still doesn’t add up to an adequate daily amount—at least not according to the Centers for Disease Control. The CDC tells us we should eat 1-1/2 to 2 cups per day of fruit and 2 to 3 cups per day of vegetables. They also say that only 12% of Americans get that minimum amount of fruit and only 9% that minimum amount of veggies per day.
Not getting enough of these foods can result in significant health ramifications. Here are excerpts from an article by Jan Annigan updated on December 12, 2018 in SFGATE, Consequences of Not Eating Fruits & Vegetables:
Fruits and vegetables contribute a host of beneficial nutrients and other food components, such as phytochemicals and fiber, to your diet. Although you can replace some of them with supplements, no dietary supplement can substitute for all the compounds found in fruits and vegetables, nor can they mimic the potential nutrient interactions found in those foods that may contribute to their healthful effects.
Nutrient Deficiencies
One of the initial adverse effects of avoiding fruits and vegetables might be a vitamin or mineral deficiency. Produce contributes B-vitamins that help you derive energy from your diet, vitamin C to assist with wound healing, vitamin A to keep your skin and eyes healthy and vitamin K to support blood clotting. Minerals in these include, for example, calcium, magnesium, iron and potassium, which contribute to your skeletal, nerve and cardiovascular health. Avoiding these foods can impact any of these functions.
Digestive Issues
Fruits and vegetables contain a type of indigestible carbohydrate called fiber, which doesn’t contribute calories to your diet but can improve your intestinal health. Insoluble fiber increases the bulk of waste products in your large intestine, speeds up the waste as it passes through your system and helps you avoid constipation and hemorrhoids.
Disease Risk
Soluble fiber swells as it passes through your gut and slows the absorption of nutrients such as glucose and cholesterol. In this way, it can help regulate your blood levels of these molecules and may lessen your risk of diabetes or elevated cholesterol levels. In addition, fruits and vegetables are rich in phytochemicals, plant-based substances that not only contribute color to these foods but also may reduce inflammation and even slow or prevent tumor growth.
Worse Cardiovascular Health
Balancing potassium and sodium in your diet is a key factor in managing your cardiovascular health. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, which are rich in potassium, can help restore the balance of these minerals. Not eating these foods may increase your risk of high blood pressure or stroke.
Weight Gain
Fruits and vegetables have a relatively low energy density, meaning they offer few calories per unit of weight. They therefore provide bulk to your diet but don’t overload you with calories, and their water and fiber content helps you feel full and can prevent you from overeating — particularly helpful if you are trying to lose weight.
To help us out, Susan Blumenthal, MD, MPA and Rachel Greene have given us A Recipe for Consuming More Fruits and Vegetables in their ThriveGlobal.com article in which I’m giving the following excerpts:
A Recipe for Increasing Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables
- Know your needs. The more fruits and vegetables that are consumed, the better. The recommendation is to fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables
- Purchase in season vegetables and fruits. Buying in season fruits and vegetables helps save money and promotes the consumption of nutritious foods. Some examples of winter seasonal produce include bananas, grapefruit, lemons, mushrooms, oranges, onions, leeks, sweet potatoes and yams.
- Try something new. Experiment. Stir in mango, pineapple, papaya, guava, kiwi and other interesting fruits into your morning breakfast.
- Cook dishes in bulk. If you are making a stew, vegetable chili or soup, double the batch and freeze the remaining serving sizes of the dish. If you
are in a pinch and should need a quick meal, reheat the frozen portion, helping to avoid consumption of fast-foods.
- Add vegetables to recipes. Add zucchini, squash or grated carrots to a recipe for stew, chili, soup, or a pasta sauce.
- Keep frozen fruits and vegetables in the freezer so they are always available. Mixing a smoothie with frozen fruits and vegetables, such as strawberries, blueberries, spinach, and bananas helps increase consumption of daily fruits and vegetables when you don’t have time to stop at a grocery store or farmer’s market.
Research has examined the minerals and fiber content between fresh as compared to frozen fruits and vegetables such as peas, green beans, carrots, corn, broccoli, spinach, strawberries, and blueberries. One study found that for the majority of commodities examined, there was no significant difference in these ingredients between frozen products and fresh fruit and vegetables. Similarly, another study compared the vitamin content between eight fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables and concluded overall there was no difference in vitamin levels between frozen and fresh products.
- Drink a smoothie. Consuming a smoothie for breakfast, as a snack or dessert is a great way to add more vitamins, minerals and fiber from fruits and vegetables to your diet.
Blumenthal & Greene also sited a study, which examined the relationship between greater food expenditures on fruits, vegetables and animal-derived foods. This research concluded that people, 65 years and older, who spent fifty cents more per day on vegetables and fruits experienced a 10% decrease in mortality; thus a diet filled with more fruits and vegetables may increase the longevity of older adults.
All in all, it’s time we—including me—“beef up” on our fruit & vegetable intake. It’s probably the easiest way in the world to help prevent cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other mortal diseases. It’s true that an apple a day——————————!