The Top Reasons Why You Should Eat More Fruits & Veggies
News flash: eating fruits and vegetables are critical to living healthily and losing weight. Shocking, right? Jokes aside, we all know that including more fruits and vegetables into your diet is important. After all, they’re chock full of essential vitamins and minerals, can help prevent certain diseases, regulate our bodily functions, and more.
The issue most people have is that inserting fruits and vegetables into our daily meals can be tough. Often, fruit and veggies cost more than processed foods at the supermarket and can only last a few days in the fridge before spoiling. Not to mention that our taste for certain fruits and vegetables (like broccoli, for instance) can be especially fickle. Lastly, some people don’t know how versatile fruits and vegetables can be; you can insert them into nearly any dish to add color, taste, and nutrients.
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, you should be consuming between two and six cups of fruits and vegetables every day. How do you stack up? Today, we’re going to break down the top reasons why you should be eating more fruits and vegetables.
They’re Chock Full of Everything Good for You
Perhaps the most obvious reason you should be eating more fruits and veggies is that they are crucial sources of important vitamins and minerals your body needs to operate at peak efficiency. If your body lacks these vital nutrients, you could experience health problems down the road.
The key to consuming the maximum amount of nutrients from your food is to eat them raw. This may be difficult, or unsavory, for some foods, as vegetables change their taste when cooked. Fruit is almost always eaten raw, and there are plenty of vegetables that can also be eaten without seeing a stovetop. Veggies like lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, and cabbage are great untouched—convenient that these are the essential ingredients to a salad, yes?
Vegetables are rich in vitamins A and C and contain fiber, potassium, and folate. While fresh or frozen fruit contains natural sugars, they too are some of the healthiest choices you can make. Fruit is naturally low in fat, sodium, and calories and rich in fiber, potassium, folate, and vitamin C. We’ll explain more of what these vitamins and minerals do below.
They’re Low in Calories and Can Help You Lose Weight
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fruits and vegetables can help the body manage its weight easier. Because fruits and veggies are best consumed raw, they lack many of the negative qualities that come with processed meats and frozen meals. Over processed foods are high in saturated and trans fats, sodium, and other chemical additives that can cause issues for your body.
Compared to most other foods, fruits and vegetables are low in calories and can serve as a substitute for less healthy food in different recipes. You can supplement applesauce for oil when baking, and sauté vegetables as a healthy side to any meal.
They Can Reduce the Risk of Disease & Cancer
There have been published studies from numerous reputable research institutions that offer compelling evidence that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can lower the risk of some of our most dangerous diseases and illnesses.
According to a Harvard Health Study, they found that a higher average daily intake of fruits and vegetables resulted in a lower chance to develop heart disease, diabetes, and suffer from cancer or strokes.
DASH, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension study, reported that a diet that restricted intake of saturated fat and high in fruits and vegetables lowered blood pressure by amounts similar to medication. Vegetarians are also less likely to have low blood pressure.
They Make Your Body Better
Fruits and vegetables are high in essential vitamins and minerals such as fiber, potassium, folate, and keratin that can improve our bodily functions.
Eating sweet potatoes, spinach, tomatoes, and most beans, which are high in potassium, can help the body maintain a healthy blood pressure.
Indigestible fiber is also found in most fruits and vegetables, which can help regulate our bowels, prevent diverticulosis, and relieve constipation. Fiber also helps provide a feeling of ‘fullness’ when consumed, so you’re less likely to overeat.
Vitamins can help the body heal wounds faster, keep the teeth and gums healthy, protect against infection, improve vision, strengthen bones, and much more.
