Fruits and Vegetables - Healthy addition to any diet
Five a day
Scientific studies have shown that people who eat a lot of fruit and vegetables may have a lower risk of getting illnesses, such as heart disease and some cancers. For this reason, health authorities recommend that you eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day - and it doesn't matter whether they're fresh, tinned, frozen, cooked, juiced or dried.
Vitamins
Eating a wide variety of fruit and vegetables means you're more likely to get all the vitamins and minerals you need. But what are vitamins - and why are they so important to your good health?
Vitamins aren't the only nutrients to be gained from fruit and vegetables. Minerals also have an important role to play in your good health.
Scientific studies have shown that people who eat a lot of fruit and vegetables may have a lower risk of getting illnesses, such as heart disease and some cancers. For this reason, health authorities recommend that you eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day - and it doesn't matter whether they're fresh, tinned, frozen, cooked, juiced or dried.
- One piece of medium-sized fruit - eg, an apple, peach, banana or orange
- One slice of large fruit, such as melon, mango or pineapple
- One handful of grapes or two handfuls of cherries or berry fruits
- One tablespoon of dried fruit
- A glass (roughly 100ml) of fruit or vegetable juice
- A small tin (roughly 200g) of fruit
- A side salad
- A serving (roughly 100g) of vegetables - eg, frozen or mushy peas, boiled carrots or stir-fried broccoli
- * The vegetables served in a portion of vegetable curry, lasagne, stir-fry or casserole
- Glass of pink grapefruit juice for breakfast = 1 portion
- Small pack of dried apricots for mid-morning snack, instead of a chocolate bar or bag of crisps = 1 portion
- Side salad with lunch = 1 portion
- Sugar snap peas and asparagus, served with main meal = 1 portion
- Strawberries with dessert = 1 portion
Vitamins
Eating a wide variety of fruit and vegetables means you're more likely to get all the vitamins and minerals you need. But what are vitamins - and why are they so important to your good health?
- Vitamins are organic substances - this means they're found in plants and animals.
- Most vitamins can't be made by your body, so they must be sourced from your diet. Vitamin D and the B vitamin niacin are exceptions to this.
- Nutritionists have divided vitamins into two groups: fat-soluble and water-soluble.
- The fat-soluble vitamins - A, D, E and K - are transported through your body by fat. They can also be stored in your fat and liver cells for a limited period of time.
- The water-soluble vitamins - B and C - are absorbed by and transported through your body in water. They need to be eaten every day, as you can't store them for any length of time.
Vitamins aren't the only nutrients to be gained from fruit and vegetables. Minerals also have an important role to play in your good health.
- Minerals are inorganic substances. This means they're found in the rocks and soil.
- Vegetables absorb mineral goodness as they grow, while animals digest it through their diet.
- Like vitamins, minerals can also be divided into two groups - those that are needed in minute quantities and those that are needed in larger quantities.
- Minerals needed in larger amounts - the major minerals - include calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium and phosphorus.
- Minerals needed in tiny amounts are called trace minerals. This group includes iron, zinc, iodine, selenium and copper.
Labels: fruits and health, vegetables and health
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