8 reasons to eat fruit and vegetables

I will describe the 8 main reasons to eat your fruit and vegetables. Those are now clear thanks to scientific (conclusive) studies.

You may or may not know them, and that is why I will remind you of the most important ones based on the findings.

All fruits and veggies are naturally packed with healthy nutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, and fibres to keep a balanced immune system. By doing so, it will serve as a natural energy boost, to stay healthier and stronger for longer.

But keep reading to find out more.

The main benefits when eating fruits and vegetables daily are enormous. Of course, we can’t describe them all here. I’ve highlighted some important ones above. And, I can’t emphasize enough why it’s so indispensable that you eat enough of them.

Why is it important to eat fruits and vegetables daily?

Science has shown evidence of significant health improvement when you eat(at least) your 5-6 portions of fruits and vegetables every single day. Note that it’s not 5 of each.

For example, adding fruits alone can help increase the daily fiber intake and potassium, which are super important nutrients that many people don’t get enough of.

Note: in this post, I have linked to different studies regarding human food consumption, health benefits and real direct causes of concern.

For example: eating meat increases blood pressure along with the risk of contributing to fat arteries that can cause severe cardiac problems among other diseases.

1. Reduce blood pressure & heart disease

Individuals following a vegetarian diet or who eat plenty of fruits and vegetables tend to have lower cholesterol. It is also true that they get more nutrients than most meat-based diets.

People who add plenty of vegetables to their diet have been described to have a 25% lower risk of dying of heart disease than non-vegetarians.

Recommendation & tips: Diets rich in fibre, meaning eating more fresh fruits and veggies, will substantially reduce blood pressure. As these have proved to have several health benefits, including decreased risk of coronary heart disease.

Include Iron intake daily for healthy and normal functioning of all blood cells.

Hint: Why not grow micro superfood greens in your kitchen in under 10 days? Check it out below. (this is a trusted affiliation link) Just click below and start growing your own greens at home under 10-12.

2. Cancer prevention

A diet that is low in fat, and includes lots of fruits and vegetables, has been associated with a very low risk of cancer. There is strong evidence showing that vegetarians tend to have a lower overall rate of cancer compared to the general population.

Red meat and processed meat consumption are consistently associated with an increase in the risk of colorectal (aka bowel, colon or rectal) cancer*. So, if you want to reduce the odds, just eat more nutrient-rich foods such as fruit and vegetable dishes!

Reference link: * types of cancer and prevention

3. Reduce obesity and/or control weight

Study after study showed us that vegetarian people tend to have high energy levels and much lower body mass index (BMI-measuring body fat) when compared with non-vegetarians. The oxford vegetarian study found that BMI levels are lower in both men and women vegetarians across all age groups.

So, this study said that individuals who eat more fruits and vegetables may have lower BMI due to consumption of a diet that is high in fibre and low in calories. You’ll find these in many fruits and vegetables.

Teens and children’s weight – Some key facts

• According to WHO, 40 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese in 2020. This number has probably increased since then.
• Further 340 million children and adolescents aged 6-19 were overweight or obese in 2016.
• See BMI charts for this age group

These are scary numbers, right?

4. Slowdown the ageing process

It is well known that fruits and plant-based diets are rich in fibre, nutrients, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, (like I mentioned at the beginning) transforming and strengthening the immune system which in return slows down the ageing process.

Tip: Add regular exercise to your balanced diet and food’s nutrients, and co will do the rest. This means eating lots of fruits and vegetables during meals as they are your best friends. These also help your skin glow as they contain great amounts of biotin, and carotene along with vitamins C and E, which are natural collagen boosters.

Great read about ageing:

• Anti-ageing – foods you should avoid
• British Medical Journal published an article revealing that vegetarians most certainly outlive meat eaters by six years. That alone should be an incentive to eat more fruits and greens.

5. Decrease mortality & many chronic diseases

Sportive studies have shown us that fruit and vegetables are indispensable to athletes’ high performance. It increases blood oxygen flow and gives high energy levels, and less fatigue.

Healthy nutrition does help not only the sportive but can also reduce diseases later at a later stage in life. Additionally, a vegetarian diet can prevent and reverse certain chronic diseases, so it makes perfect sense that vegetarians have a longer life span! Type 2 diabetes is often linked to a lack of fruits and vegetables.

Great read:

• The United Kingdom and the United States appear to be experiencing stagnating or continued declines in life expectancy – these declines were predominantly driven by trends in older age (≥65 years) mortality and in deaths related to respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, nervous system disease, and mental disorders. [from paper’s Abstract]

6. Reduce global warming

The United Nations (UN) reported that animal farming generates much more greenhouse gases than all the cars and trucks in the world put together. Most of it comes from carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide gases generated by manure and burping (methane gas) that are released into our atmosphere.

Therefore, the single most important step an individual can take to reduce global warming is to reduce meat intake and/or adopt a vegetarian diet.

Read further: Greenpeace reveals that animal farming pollutes more than cars and vans

7. Helps decrease soil poverty

Did you know that minimum or zero tillage initiatives can improve soil conservation? Yes, by encouraging farmers to till the soil less intensively, not completely inverting it or leaving part of the soil surface covered with crop residues or plant residue.

This process helps recapture lost carbon from agricultural soils, conserve moisture and reduce water and wind erosion.

Puzzled?

8. Cost

A vegetarian diet based on fruits and vegetables contains lots of vitamins and other minerals. This is not only good for one’s personal health but can also be good for the nation and the world’s economy when it comes to reducing health care bills.

According to an annual estimate created by Fidelity Investments, which has been tracking healthcare costs for decades, the average couple retiring in 2016 at age 65 will need between $200-260K to cover medical costs during retirement.

Do you know what this means? Eat more fruit and vegetables and take care of your health, so you get to enjoy life and keep that money.

Conclusion

Health spending (overtime) in the US totalled $74.1 billion in the ’70s. By the end of 2000, health expenditures reached about $1.4 trillion, and in 2019 the amount spent on health more than doubled to $3.8 trillion.

Heart and diet-related diseases are super costly, ugly and painful for you and others. The good news is – They are avoidable.

Yes, it can be preventable if you eat more fruits and vegetables every day.

Ladies and gentlemen the message is pretty clear – eating healthier is not an option, it’s either that or you’ll pay later for increased healthcare costs.

You might want to follow some guidelines or seek for a nutritionist’s advice.

The U.S. health department designed the 2015–2020 Dietary guidelines to help Americans eat better and maintain a healthier diet. This edition shows how people can improve their overall eating patterns with a number of key recommendations with specific nutritional targets and dietary limits.

Do share your thoughts as well as why you think taking care of our diet is important. Also, tell us what your concerns are and if you need some nutritional recommendations.