Fruits and Vegetables: What's so great about them?

Did you know that the world health organization has increased the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables you should consume in a day from 5-9 to 9-13. That means that an average adult should be getting 9-13 servings of fruits and vegetables every day! Do you know very many people who do that? Probably not, and the reason is because most people don't know just how important they are. In my previous blog I discussed multivitamins and their ineffectiveness in preventing disease or making you more healthy. In this blog I will discuss the benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables and not relying on a multivitamin to save you.

Dr Carrie Ruxton, scientific advisor to the Health Supplements Information Service in Britain, said: "A significant proportion of British people, particularly women, young children and teenagers, have inadequate intakes of key nutrients, such as iron, folate, calcium, vitamin D and vitamin A. As a nation we are still failing to meet the five-a-day fruit and vegetable intake targets.

So why these new healthy eating guidelines from the government? Research shows that people who eat nutrient-rich diets filled with fruits and vegetables have lower rates of heart disease and cancer. Researchers have noted for years that populations with healthy diets — lots of vegetables, little junk food — are less likely
than others to get cancer, says Peter Gann of the University of Illinois-Chicago, who wrote an editorial accompanying the newspapers. There are many preventable illnesses from not eating healthy. Eating more fruits and vegetables can help prevent you from getting diabetes, cancer and heart disease, which are the 3 main killers in North America.

The body requires 13 vitamins and 15 minerals to function properly. Among the necessary vitamins are B6, which maintains brain function; biotin, which is essential for metabolism; and A, which is critical to the maintenance of healthy teeth and bones. A deficiency in any of these 13 vitamins can cause a range of health problems, including depression, anemia and diminished immunity. An average eater who fills his or her plate mostly with fruits, vegetables and whole grains should meet the daily recommended intake of vitamins, says Dr. John W. Erdman Jr., a professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Remember as well that the nutritional value of raw fruits and vegetables is much higher than the nutritional values of fruits and vegetables that have been cooked or processed in any way.

Even skipping leafy greens one day or apples and bananas the next won't adversely affect your health--provided this doesn't become a chronic habit. (Children, pregnant or lactating women and the elderly, however, can be more vulnerable to vitamin deficiencies.)

Researchers and health experts are now telling us that health-conscious consumers should focus on getting their vitamins from plant foods, such as vegetables and whole grains, which contain precise mixtures of hundreds or even thousands of compounds. Researchers are continually discovering more, but they know that there are tens of thousand of vitamins and minerals found in fruits and vegetables. Many of these compounds work better in the combinations selected by nature instead of an artificially made vitamin which may contain 100 different nutrients if you are lucky. However, whole food supplements such as juice plus contain all of the thousands of phytonutrients that are found in 17 different fruits, vegetables, and grains. Adding a supplement such as this can help you to get many key nutrients into your diet that you may be missing. The juice plus website also contains a list of some vitamins found in common fruits and vegetables. See www.morellojuiceplus.com for more information.