If you’ve overindulged during the silly season, now is the time to get your health and nutrition back on track.
Increasing your fruit and vegetable intake is a great first step. With this year being the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables, we also have an added incentive to include a few more fruit and vegetables into our diets throughout 2021.
Fruits and vegetables – the benefits
It is well known that fruits and vegetables have many health benefits. As noted by the World Health Organization, not only do they help to strengthen your immune system, they also play a vital part in combating malnutrition and preventing non-communicable diseases.
This is because fruits and vegetables contain a variety of minerals and vitamins that are good for your overall health. These include vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, magnesium, zinc, and folic acid. Not only are fruit and vegetables low in fat, salt and sugar, they are also a great source of dietary fibre, which is essential for a healthy digestive system.
As part of a well-balanced diet and active lifestyle, fruits and vegetables can help to reduce obesity and maintain a healthy weight and lower both cholesterol and blood pressure.
Regularly eating lots of fruits and vegetables has also been known to lower your risk of:
- Type 2 diabetes;
- Stroke;
- Heart disease;
- Cancer; and
- High blood pressure
As noted by the Harvard School of Health, there are at least nine different families of fruits and vegetables. Each offer potentially hundreds of different plant compounds that are beneficial to your overall health.
How much fruit and vegetables should you be eating?
The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend eating plenty of fruits and vegetables every day. These include different types and colours, as well as legumes and beans. The general rule of thumb is to aim to eat five serves of vegetables and two serves of fruit each day.
The Guidelines also recommend:
- Enjoying reduced fat varieties of milk, yoghurt and cheese.
- Eating mainly wholegrain cereal foods and breads.
- Eating lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds, and legumes/beans.
- Drinking plenty of water.
- Limiting your intake of foods containing saturated fat, added salt, added sugars and alcohol.
- Keeping physically active every day.
- Encouraging, supporting and promoting breastfeeding.
- Caring for your food by preparing and storing it correctly.
Nutritionist Lisa Stegena, Managing Director of Nutrition Force, suggests aiming for 20-30 different types of food per day and to ‘eat a rainbow’ as an easy way to get more fruits and vegetables into your diet.
“This simply means eating a range of colourful, fresh, wholesome food that will provide a range of health benefits to your body. It doesn’t mean eat a packet of Smarties!”
“The more colourful whole food is, the more nutritional benefits it is likely to have, as the nutrients and other healthy compounds contribute to its colour, flavour and aroma.”
Eating a balanced, nutritious diet and adopting healthy eating patterns can not only help you to achieve healthy weight loss, it can also provide additional health benefits. These include increased energy, better sleep and reduced risk of depression.
Eating from the rainbow
Generally, fruits and vegetables fall into five different colour groups:
- Red – contain phytochemicals (including lycopene), ellagic acid and the kaempferol flavonoid which can protect against cancer.
- Purple/Blue – contain a group of phytochemicals knowns as flavonoids and anthocyanins, which have a mild anti-bacterial effect.
- Orange/Yellow – contain phytochemicals known as carotenoids, some of which have been known to help protect against cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.
- Green – contain a range of phytochemicals that are known to have anti-cancer properties.
- White/Brown – contain phytochemicals, including allicin, which have anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties.
Antioxidants contribute to the colour of fruits and vegetables. Therefore, eating from all colours of the rainbow is a good way to make sure you are getting a range of antioxidants and nutrients into your diet.
To find out more about the benefits and the fruits and vegetables found in each colour food group, visit https://www.sanitarium.com.au/health-nutrition/vegetarian-eating/fruit-and-vegetables
Want to know if you’re getting enough fruits and vegetables in your current diet? Take the Dietitians Association of Australia “Healthy Eating Quiz” here>>
See your GP at IMC
If you are concerned about your diet or nutritional health, book in with one of our GPs to discuss your concerns. Appointments can be made online or by contacting us directly on (08) 9208 6400.
We also offer appointments with a Nutrition Force Accredited Practicing Dietitian on Tuesdays. Appointments are available fortnightly to discuss a range of dietary related health conditions, including gut issues, bariatric surgery, children’s dietary issues, weight loss, diabetes and more.
For more information on this topic, visit:
- Australian Dietary Guidelines – https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au
- Better Health Channel, Victoria – https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/fruit-and-vegetables
- Food and Agricultural Organizations of the United Nations – http://www.fao.org/fruits-vegetables-2021/en/
- Harvard School of Public Health – https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/vegetables-and-fruits/
- Healthy WA – https://www.healthywa.wa.gov.au/Articles/F_I/Healthy-eating
- Nutrition Force – https://nutritionforce.com.au/
- Sanitarium – https://www.sanitarium.com.au/health-nutrition/vegetarian-eating/fruit-and-vegetables