According to a recent survey by YouBeauty, 64% of us are eating three or fewer servings of fruits and vegetables a day. This means that, for the majority of us, our diet and nutrition wellness is severely lacking. You may think that getting five portions of fruit and veg a day is the optimal amount, and anything near that is good enough, but the the latest dietary guidelines call for five to 13—yes, 13—servings a day! If you’re not getting five portions, you’re not even doing the bare minimum for your wellbeing, and the effects could be catastrophic. Regular and generous helpings of produce have been proven to improve overall health and longevity, while decreasing your risk of chronic diseases and making you gorgeous all over. Let’s take a look at just some of the reasons why you need AT LEAST five portions of fruit and veggies every day:
1. Radiant skin: While a little sunbathing (whilst slathered in SPF 15 or higher) can give you a healthy sun-kissed glow, your skin can also be radiant just by eating vegetables – which is good news in a country that sees sun for about two weeks a year! The phytochemicals called carotenoids found in red, orange and yellow produce can give you a glowing hue, and a new study published in the journal Evolution and Human Behaviour found that people who ate the most fruits and vegetables every day were more likely to have skin with a radiant, healthy appearance. In fact, the glow induced by carotenoids was seen as more attractive than your average sun-given tan, possibly because golden skin is a sign of reproductive health in the animal kingdom (wink wink).
2. Lower risk for heart disease: Even if you’re predisposed to develop heart disease, you can still eat your way out of your risk by eating more fruits and vegetables. According to an analysis of several studies, a particular version of chromosome 9p21 that has a DNA mutation puts you at higher risk for a heart attack, but increasing your daily consumption of fruits and vegetables can lower your risk down to the level of someone without the genetic risk factor. Moreover, another analysis of 19,000 people showed that, whoever you are and whatever your genetic risks, eating more fruits, berries and vegetables translated to a lower risk of heart disease.
3. Cancer prevention: There are countless cancer-fighting antioxidants to be found in fresh fruits and vegetables; vitamins C and E, carotenoids and other powerful phytochemicals, to name a few. These bad boys for battling cancer protect you against cancer-causing cell damage, and research backs up the fact that eating a lot of produce lowers your risk for certain cancers. One study looking at broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables found that a phytochemical called sulforaphane even selectively targets and kills some cancer cells while leaving your healthy cells alone.
4. Better sleep and weight loss combined: Researchers writing in the European Respiratory Journal have demonstrated that following a Mediterranean diet – which is packed with fruits and vegetables – improved sleep and weight in 40 obese adults when coupled with regular physical activity for six months. The participants all had problems with sleep apnoea, which affects up to 4% of adults – especially if you’re obese. However, the study volunteers who followed the Mediterranean-based diet and consumed three times more fruits and vegetables than their non-Mediterranean counterparts had a greater reduction in sleep apnoea, as well as a decrease in waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio and waist-to-hip ratio – pass the fruit bowl!
Comments are closed.