There is no denying that the food people eat is becoming more and more isolated from the organic world. Processed foods with difficult-to-pronounce chemicals and preservatives exist on grocery store shelves. Most of the time dinner consists of a cheeseburger and fries when not shopping for groceries.
The potential health effects of this kind of diet are concerning. It should come as no surprise that during the past few years, the incidence of metabolic disorders such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity has progressively increased.
Eating more fruits and vegetables can help you start aligning your diet more with nature and prevent yourself from falling into these statistics. Even though it might not seem like much, most people do not receive enough fruits and vegetables on a typical day. However, increasing your consumption can have some very significant advantages. Here’s what science says will happen if you reach the threshold of approximately five servings per day.
1. Helps lower the risk of heart disease
When it comes to preventing cardiovascular disease, fruit and vegetable consumption is most strongly supported by research. Produce is so beneficial that research published in the International Journal of Epidemiology found that individuals who had approximately six servings (18 ounces) of fruits and vegetables daily had a 16% lower risk of dying from coronary heart disease compared to those who consumed less than 1½ ounces.
Soluble fiber from produce can help prevent cholesterol from being reabsorbed from the colon and help lower blood cholesterol levels, which is one important factor.
Apples, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, pears, oranges, peas, and grapefruits are excellent providers of soluble fiber. Fiber also lowers blood sugar and heart rate by delaying the absorption of glucose. Blood glucose rises due to fast intestinal absorption, which prompts an immediate spike in insulin. Elevated insulin and glucose levels have the potential to cause diabetes mellitus and damage blood vessels, ultimately resulting in heart disease.
Produce has heart-healthy benefits beyond fiber. Citrus fruits, kiwis, broccoli, strawberries, and bell peppers are among the foods that are high in vitamin C, an antioxidant that reduces inflammation that damages arteries. Nitric oxide, a gas that relaxes the arteries to improve blood flow, is also increased by vitamin C. A diet high in vitamin C may lower the risk of cardiovascular disease death compared to a diet low in this nutrient.
2. Improves brain health
Vibrant products can be a useful ally whether your objective is to prevent dementia later in life or to maintain emotional well-being now. According to a 2020 Nutrients systematic review, eating five or more servings per day is associated with improved mental health, especially reduced depression. Any produce is good for you, but the best for your brain are fruits and vegetables like citrus, bananas, berries, apples, kiwis, cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, and leafy greens like spinach.
Although the precise reason why produce is good for your brain is unknown, researchers have shown that several nutrients found in large amounts in produce, such as fiber-rich carbohydrates, carotenoids, vitamin C, B vitamins, and polyphenols, are associated with improved brain function.
If you’re thinking about the long-term health of your brain, flavonoids (found in oranges, berries, apples, pears, peppers, and celery) may be of assistance. It is thought that this family of plant chemicals protects against dementia and memory loss by boosting blood flow to the brain, reducing inflammation, and protecting brain tissue from damaging beta-amyloid plaques, which are the cause of Alzheimer’s disease.
A perfect way to get your daily fruit intake is by consuming Wonder Juice, which is an organic and nutritious blend of fruit and vegetables. A few examples include Wonder Beet, Wonder Melon, and Wonder Lemon.
3. Will protect you from some cancers
Low consumption of fruits and vegetables is among the bad dietary and lifestyle choices associated with 1 in 5 cancer cases. Individuals who consume a diet rich in fruits and vegetables had decreased odds of acquiring some malignancies, according to extensive epidemiologic studies in which participants submitted comprehensive information about everything they eat and drink.
Why “some” cancers only? Some cancers are so uncommon that there is not enough data on them to examine (such as cervical cancer and the HPV virus). Or the effects of fruits and vegetables may be obscured by their substantial correlation with another cause.
It’s recommended consuming up to 6½ cups of veggies daily for the best defense. Citing specific colors and varieties—orange, dark green, and cruciferous vegetables—they highlight the presence of carotenoids and glucosinolates, two types of phytochemicals that protect cells from toxins and prevent DNA damage.
4. Helps with weight management
Reducing excess weight is influenced by both your dietary choices and lifestyle choices. In one study, people who said they ate nine servings of vegetables a day had a 74% lower chance of gaining weight over ten years than others who said they ate half that amount. What’s the hidden component? The amount of produce that is made of water. Even while produce has flavor, it contains 90% water. Water has a lot of weight and volume but no calories. This lets you consume more food for comparatively fewer calories in larger, more fulfilling quantities.
But water isn’t the only factor. Raw foods are particularly difficult to chew for fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, as anyone who has ever attempted to down a salad can confirm. Fiber not only makes your mouth work harder, but it also slows down how quickly food leaves your stomach, giving your brain more time to sense fullness. For modest weight loss, eating an abundance of fruits and nonstarchy vegetables can be just as beneficial as following a calorie-restricted diet.
Even though most people still don’t consume enough fruits and vegetables, there are several strong arguments to increase your consumption. Consume five or more servings of produce every day, whether it’s via incorporating them into foods you normally consume, having canned or frozen versions on hand, or serving them with fruit juice, smoothies or salad at mealtimes.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
