Most Americans don't eat enough fruits and vegetables every day for good health. Nutritionists with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's 5 a Day Campaign recommend eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day to provide vitamins, minerals and fiber to reduce your risk for chronic diseases. Adding fruits and vegetables to your daily diet makes you feel healthy and energized.
Vitamins
Fruits and vegetables provide you with a variety of vitamins. Vitamin C is found in kiwi, cantaloupe, oranges, strawberries, mango's, grapefruit, watermelon, broccoli, sweet pepper, kale, turnip greens, tomato, potato and cauliflower. Vitamin A is found in cantaloupe, apricots, oranges, peaches, apples, carrots, spinach, butternut squash and broccoli. Oranges, bananas, romaine lettuce, spinach and broccoli are good sources of folate.
Minerals
Minerals are abundant in fruits and vegetables. Phosphorus is found in baked potato, green peas, lettuce, cauliflower and oranges. Good sources of calcium include kale, broccoli, spinach, rhubarb and oranges. The mineral magnesium is in baked potato, spinach, green peas and many fruits. Baked potato, spinach, peas, broccoli, apricots, blueberries and raspberries are good iron sources.
Calories, Not Fat
One small piece of fruit contains about 80 calories. A baked potato can range from 80 to 150 calories, depending on size. A carrot or a piece of celery gives you 5 calories. Fruits and vegetables have no fat, just carbohydrates and a trace of protein, making them healthy snacks.
Fiber
Fruits and vegetables contain several types of fibers ---pectin, lignin and cellulose --- that can prevent and manage many bowel diseases, prevent cancers and protect against heart diseases. No other foods contain the type and amount of fiber that fruits and vegetables do, so it is important to eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables daily for good health.
References
- Krause's Food, Nutrition & Diet Therapy, 10th Edition, L. Kathleen Mahan and Sylvia Escott-Stump, 2000.
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