Vegetables and Fruits are essential as they are the healthy part of our diet. It is often said that all these together help in contributing towards a healthy body.
Fruits and vegetables are low in calories and provide all the essential vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, which helps to avoid the risk of any chronic disease.
Despite being so healthy, you should always know how many fruits and veggies you should eat per day. By keeping a check on your fruits and vegetable intake, you will be able to maintain your proper health, as the excess of it can be dangerous.
How Many Fruits & Veggies Should You Eat Per Day?
Experts suggest you should eat a minimum of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. It is also famous as 5-A Day rule.
The ‘five a day’ rule should be changed and doubled to 10 pieces of fruits and vegetables. One of the crucial studies has found that if you eat more fruits and vegetables, the less will be the chances of developing any disease.
The risk of having stroke goes down if you eat 800 grams of fruits and vegetables daily. It can also help lower the danger of heart attack by 24%.
Apart from these, eating vegetables and fruits can also lower the risk of developing any heart-related disease and cancer. The new study also stated that if the new rule is followed, the risk of premature death will go down for nearly 8 million people.
Previously many scientists and nutrition experts have often recommended that you should eat at least five to ten servings of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis to maintain your proper health. If you wish to gain more advantages, you should always select the fresh vegetables and fruits.
However, according to the new studies, eating only three to four servings combined of fruits, legumes and vegetables can be beneficial. Many researchers consider that the smaller portion of the fruit and vegetable intakes can have efficient health benefits.
The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest that you should eat at least five to thirteen servings of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. These much of serving amount from two and a half to six and a half cups.
Nevertheless, all the amount of fruits and vegetables you eat daily wholly depends upon the calorie intake depending upon your age, weight and health conditions. The servings of fruits and vegetables should be divided equally among fruits and vegetables to amount to the required calories.
The Harvard School of Public Health stated that an average Americans eats about three servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
Vegetables have been classified into five categories by U.S. Department of Agriculture. The five being dark green, orange, legumes, starch, and others, all of which have certain different nutritional components and benefits.
To get all the sufficient health benefits, you should eat all the five categories regularly. If you eat 2000 calories daily, you can choose to eat four to five servings of fruits and vegetables as well. This will in turn help to get all the required veggies derived macronutrients and micronutrients which has an important role to play.
If your daily calorie consumption is 2000, you should eat 2 cups of fruits daily, which amounts to 4 servings every day. To obtain the maximum benefits of these fruits, you should choose whole, fresh, frozen fruits rather than juice. The fiber in fruit juices is very less compared to that of fresh fruits, so, fresh fruits should be consumed over its bi-products.
Research Studies About Consumption of Fruits & Veggies
According to a study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, the smaller consumption of the green vegetables and fruits can also cause essential health benefits.
Eating about two and a half portion of the fruits and vegetables contributes towards 16% reduced the risk of heart disease and 4% fewer chances of cancer and 15% fewer chances of premature death.
Another study published in the journal Thorax stated that diets rich in fruits and vegetables also helps to reduce the risk of any chronic lung disease.
The British Thoracic Society focuses on the fact that people who are habituated to smoking, should stop this habit to lower the chances of developing any COPD.
Dr. Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist of Public Health England also recommends that the 5-A day target often contributes to a balanced, healthy diet and also helps in stopping some diseases.
She further adds that eating more than five servings of the fruits and vegetables is helpful, but two third of the adults often do not meet the needs of eating the 5-A day rule for vegetables and fruits.
Melissa Rifkin, one of the bariatric dietician at Montefiore Health System of New York City, said that your meals should always consist of ‘hidden’ vegetables. It meant, if you make any dish, it should consist a certain number of vegetables.
Instead of dips, vegetables and fruits should be added to the dish to enhance the flavor and taste of the dish. The added taste and flavor of vegetables and fruits help towards living a healthy life.
Health Benefits of Eating Fruits & Veggies
The Harvard School of Public Health suggests that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables may contribute towards lowering the danger of some serious diseases such as heart disease, chronic lung diseases, and stroke.
If you eat 5-servings of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis, you are likely at 20% reduced risk of developing any serious disorders, compared to that of who don’t.
Adding a decent amount of fruits and veggies into the diet can help you control high blood pressure. This may prevent your cardiovascular system from being damaged.
Eating vegetables and fruits also helps in keeping your stomach healthy as it allows the smooth movement of foods across the intestine and swift movement of bowel. It prevents the intestine from any damage and also lowers the risk of constipation.
Final Thoughts
No matter how beneficial fruits and vegetables are, they should also be consumed in moderate amounts to avoid any risk to your health.
Both vegetables and fruits are essential for our health but how much veggies and fruits you should eat per day should also be known to avoid any health risks.
Make sure that you add the vegetables and fruits in the recommended amount in your diet to enjoy all the benefits and keeping yourself fit and fine.