Vegetables and Fruits
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Vegetables and fruits are an important part of a healthy diet, and variety is as important as quantity.
No single fruit or vegetable provides all of the nutrients you need to be healthy. Eat plenty everyday.
A diet rich in vegetables and fruits can lower blood pressure, reduce risk of heart disease and stroke, prevent some types of cancer, lower risk of eye and digestive problems, and have a positive effect upon blood sugar which can help keep appetite in check.
Eat a variety of types and colors of produce in order to give your body the mix of nutrients it needs. Try dark leafy greens; brightly colored red, yellow and orange vegetables and fruits; and cooked tomatoes.
Eat more vegetables and fruits each day
1. Keep fruit where you can see it. That way you’ll be more likely to eat it.
2. Explore the produce aisle and choose something new. Variety is the key to a healthy diet.
3. Skip the potatoes. Choose other vegetables that are packed with more nutrients and more slowly digested carbohydrates.
4. Make it a meal. Try cooking new recipes that include more vegetables. Salads and stir fries are two ideas for getting tasty vegetables on your plate.
By Dr. Mercola
Eating more fresh vegetables is one of the simplest choices you can make to improve your health and ward off countless chronic diseases. Virtually anyvegetable is good for you… but some are better than others.
To a large extent, the best vegetables for you are those that appeal to your palate and agree with you. I highly recommend listening to your body, in that the foods you eat, including vegetables, should leave you feeling satisfied and energized.
Beyond that, however, if you want to eat the vegetables that have the mostnutritional density you should choose from the list of powerhouse fruits and vegetables. These are the foods most strongly associated with reduced chronic disease risk.
41 Powerhouse Vegetables and Fruits Based on Nutrient Density
You may have heard the advice to eat dark green leafy vegetables or focus on including a rainbow of colors (green, purple, red, and orange) when choosing your produce. This is good advice, but a researcher from William Paterson University took it a step further by analyzing levels of 17 nutrients in food considered to be important for lowering your risk of heart disease and cancer.1These include: