We accept it as gospel. Fruit and vegetables are good for you, and you should be getting a minimum of 5-a-day. From your youngest days, if you eat nothing else on your plate, you eat your greens. This often leads us to rebel as a child, how often does a toddler move their broccoli around their plate in an ill-fated attempt to avoid eating it?
A lot of us don’t know much about why fruit and veg are so vital to your diet. Here, we take a look at the reasons you should be eating AT LEAST 5-a-day.
Fiber
Fruit and vegetables are a source of fiber, which is essential in the maintenance of a healthy digestive process. Eating fiber will prevent constipation and contribute to a decreased risk of bowel cancer and other diseases. Fibrous foods also help you feel fuller for longer. It is important to note that, when blended into a smoothie, the fiber content of fruit and veg is reduced. You should try to eat your fruit and vegetables in solid form wherever possible.
Vitamins and Minerals
Fruit and vegetables are a fantastic source of vitamins and minerals. Oranges for vitamin C, mangoes for vitamin B, carrots for vitamin A. Eating a wide variety of fruit and vegetables will help you consume a comprehensive profile of vitamins and minerals, which are the core nutrients your body needs for optimal health. With hundreds of types of fruit and vegetables available, it is essential to understand how your body reacts to them. By testing for food intolerances, you can identify foods that may harm wellbeing.
Low Calorie
A lot of fruit and vegetables have a low caloric content per gram. This means that you can eat a low of some fruit and veg and still come in with a low total calorie consumption for the day. For example, 100g of broccoli comes in at around 34 kcal, whereas 100g of wholemeal bread weighs in at 260 calories. This means you can eat a whole lot more vegetables and still positively alter your body composition.
Fructose
Fructose is a sugar found in fruit. As with any sugar, it is essential to consume fructose in moderation. However, the fructose in fruit satisfies the craving for sweet foods, which might otherwise be met by eating a chocolate bar or some candy. As a simple sugar, fructose is also an essential tool for exercise as it helps increase carbohydrate oxidation, a process that facilitates improved exercise performance.
Appropriate nutrition is vital to optimizing athletic performance; make sure you’re not putting the wrong fuel in your body. It is important to assess whether you’re living with food intolerances, with symptoms including bloating, diarrhea, headaches and fatigue, they can have significant negative health outcomes.
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