Eat Five Fruits And Plants A Day And You’ll Live Longer

It is known that eating plenty of fruits and vegetables is good for health. According to a recent study, eating five fruits and plants a day may increase life expectancy and lower the risk of developing chronic diseases such as cancer or cardiovascular disease.

In order to realize the positive effects of fruits and vegetables, the macronutrients they contain must be obtained in optimal doses. Adequate protein and fat intake is also important, as both play an important role in diverse physiological processes.

Two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables

First, it is important to emphasize how essential it is to eat more vegetables than fruits. This is because vegetables contain more phytonutrients than fruits. They play a crucial role in the neutralization process of free radicals and have been found to be involved in the prevention of complex diseases.

According to a study presented in Circulation , it is important to ensure that the diet includes vegetables in order to improve the efficiency of physiological processes to keep inflammatory levels under control. It is also good to know that excessive inflammation can lead to problems in the body.

In order to achieve optimal health, it would be advisable to include vegetables in every main meal of the day. The fruit can be eaten as a morning or afternoon snack to give the body enough vitamins and antioxidants.

Some fruits and vegetables are better than others

It is important to keep in mind that not all vegetables have the same properties. For example, exotic fruits contain more phytonutrients. They have been shown to play an important role in, for example, cancer prevention. This is stated in a study presented in Current Pharmaceutical Design.

Brightly colored fruits as well as cruciferous vegetables also help to improve your health better than others, such as leafy vegetables. A good example of this is broccoli, which has been found to contain crucial ingredients that help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Eat more fruits and vegetables

Although it is generally thought that the optimal amount of fruits and vegetables is five servings a day, this does not mean that they should not be eaten more. A larger amount may be even more useful. However, it is important to ensure that they are eaten in a varied way, combining products of different colors in order to obtain a wider range of nutrients.

In addition, it is important to vary the fact that vegetables are eaten sometimes uncooked and sometimes cooked. Physical and chemical processes may modify the bioavailability of nutrients in plants . Therefore, it would be good to eat some vegetables uncooked. So avoid cooking vegetables from time to time. 

One good way to maximize nutrient utilization is to also enjoy the vegetable broth used in cooking. It is rich in water-soluble vitamins and is therefore not wasted.

Related research

A study presented in Circulation  analyzed more than two million diets. As you can see, the experiment is very extensive. The study found that the risk of death was significantly reduced – by 12% – among those who ate five fruits and plants a day. 

The researchers also found that there was a 35% reduction in respiratory disease in these subjects. The same could be said for cancer and cardiovascular disease.

However, no link could be found between higher vegetable intake and lower risk of death. Green leafy and brightly colored vegetables rich in vitamin C and beta-carotene were considered more useful.

Eat five fruits and plants a day and you will live longer

As we mentioned earlier, eating at least five servings of vegetables and fruits a day will help prevent chronic and complex health problems. This is due to the micronutrients and phytonutrients contained in vegetables and fruits, which produce an effective antioxidant effect, being able to neutralize the formation of free radicals.

In addition, you should reduce the amount of highly processed foods in your diet. This will also help reduce your intake of trans fats and simple sugars. As a result, the human body functions more efficiently. 

Finally, it is good to remember that a healthy diet should be supplemented with regular exercise. In addition, the body should be allowed to rest enough to recover properly.