We often hear about eating fruits and vegetables but why exactly does it matter anyway? Experts do recommend that 5 – 9 servings of fruits and vegetables be consumed per day.
Fruits and vegetables are important because they are a very important source of vitamins and minerals; eating fruits and vegetables help us to meet our recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of these nutrients.
One benefit of fruits and vegetable consumption is that they provide fibre in our diet which I believe a lot of people are aware of but why do we need the fibre anyway? Fibre is important for bowel movement, in that it makes the stool bulky thereby preventing constipation and promotes frequent bowel movement (to remove all that waste from the body). Fibre actually helps in attaining desired body weight as it makes you feel fuller; just imagine that feeling you have after eating the roughage of an orange fruit. Another way by which fibre helps with body weight as well blood glucose control (very important in diabetics) is that fibre is not broken down quickly or may not be broken at all (insoluble fibre) hence glucose doesn’t get released too fast and taken up too quickly; hunger sets in when blood glucose levels drop.
For every nutrient, there is a recommended amount to be taken for the body’s optimal performance but how do we meet these requirements? This is where fruits and vegetables are important because they are good sources of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). A lot of fruits and vegetables are uncooked; this too a large extent prevents nutrient losses that occur during cooking. For instance, folic acid is easily destroyed by heat so when dark green leafy vegetables are cooked, loss of folic acid occurs and if that happens to be the only folic acid source you have that day, then your requirement of the vitamin for the day may not be met. Oranges are eaten uncooked so vitamin C loss through cooking would not occur. Fruits and vegetables help avert the micronutrient deficiencies and their undesirable consequences.
I don’t know how familiar you are with the terms ‘antioxidants’ and ‘phytochemicals’ but they are currently subjects of interest with regards to our health. Antioxidants typically stop destructive reactions (oxidation) in cells, thereby protecting the cells from damage while phytochemicals have disease preventing properties. Some researchers have suggested that antioxidants, phytochemicals and other phytonutrients may help prevent or reduce the risk of some cancers. Fruits and vegetables are good sources of these antioxidants and phytochemicals which have great health benefits, another reason you should consciously incorporate fruits and vegetables into your diet daily.
While we make many excuses for not being able to consume enough fruits and vegetables, a helpful tip might be to have a fruit bowl sitting on your table, where you keep fruits that need no refrigeration so they are often within reach. Healthy eating doesn’t have to be expensive; if you can’t afford lettuce, get dandelion around you, you can’t afford apples, get oranges, mangoes, pawpaw, you can’t afford carrots, get onions, tomatoes, garden eggs, okra. They are all good enough but these should not replace your main meal, they should be a part of it or be taken as snacks (especially those who have cravings). Eat right, stay healthy
#Nutritionislife