Fruits for Health – Health & Wellness

Fruits and vegetables are important components of a healthy diet, and eating enough of them daily can help prevent major diseases such as heart disease and some types of cancer. Overall, AIM estimates that 1.7 million lives could be saved each year if fruit and vegetable consumption were sufficiently increased.

WHO and FAO recommend at least 400 g of fruits and vegetables per day (excluding potatoes and other starchy tubers) as a demographic goal to prevent chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes or obesity, and to prevent and mitigate various micronutrient deficiencies, especially in less developed countries.

The WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health highlights that increased consumption of fruits and vegetables is one of the recommendations to be taken into account in the development of national policies and nutrition recommendations for both populations and individuals.

Recognizing the growing body of scientific evidence that inadequate intake of fruits and vegetables is a key risk factor for several noncommunicable diseases, WHO and FAO launched the Joint Fruit and Vegetable Protection Initiative in Rio de Janeiro in November 2003, which is one of the many of the measures integrated into the implementation of the Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health. The overall goal of this initiative is to promote, promote and protect health in the context of a healthy diet, guiding the development of sustainable community, national and global interventions that generally lead to a reduction in the risk of chronic disease due to increased consumption of fruits and vegetables.

In September 2004, the first joint WHO/FAO workshop on fruits, vegetables and health was held at the WHO Center for Health and Development in Kobe, Japan. More than 50 experts in health, nutrition, agriculture and horticulture, mostly from developing countries, came together and developed a framework to promote fruits and vegetables in countries.

Data
– Sufficient consumption of fruits and vegetables can save up to 1.7 million lives annually. Inadequate consumption of fruits and vegetables is one of the top 10 risk factors for mortality worldwide.
– It is estimated that insufficient consumption of fruits and vegetables worldwide causes approximately 19 percent of gastrointestinal cancers, 31 percent of coronary heart disease and 11 percent of strokes.

Fruits to help you lose weight
Fruits not only provide us with plenty of vitamins, fiber and minerals, but also help us lose weight.
But in particular, there are five fruits that help us lose weight more than others, thanks to their wonderful properties and high fiber content.
Watermelon
It is the perfect fruit to fill up with a meal and is one of the fruits with the highest water content, no more and no less than 90 percent.
In addition, it gives us only 20 calories per 100 grams.
The key to eating watermelon and helping you lose weight is to not mix it with other foods, and therefore, as with all fruits, it is best to eat it between meals.
Grapefruit
It is a fruit with excellent properties for weight loss, and in addition to helping us cleanse the liver, which is necessary for weight loss, it helps us avoid fluid retention.
It is best to take grapefruit juice daily, and if taken half an hour before meals, it is much better.
For some reason, this is a fruit that is always included in weight loss diets, or at least it should be.
Apple
The apple is another fruit with many properties that help us lose weight.
The fiber contained in it helps us to remove toxins from the body and greatly facilitates the process of losing weight, since one of the reasons that prevent us from losing weight in many cases is the lack of fiber.
It is a very cleansing fruit and that is why there are those who follow a cleansing diet for weight loss based mainly on apples.
Ideally, eat it raw, but fried, it retains many of its properties.
Lemon
This citrus fruit is wonderful not only for weight loss, but also for cleansing our body of harmful substances that we store.
If you want to see visible weight loss, I recommend that you drink a glass of warm water with squeezed lemon juice every day on an empty stomach. Do this half an hour before breakfast.
In just 2 months, you will already see good results, although it is clear that you must take care of your diet so that weight loss is greater.
Papaya
Papaya is a fruit that contains very few calories, but contains a lot of water and a lot of fiber.
Taking papaya daily, also of course between meals and always on an empty stomach, is a good natural weight loss aid.
We have looked at five fruits that help us lose weight the most, but we must remember that they will help us lose weight the most when we take them as part of a healthy diet and accompany it with some exercise.

fruit for the heart
It beats 72 times a minute, 100,000 times a day and 3,600,000 times a year. Your heart is working so you can keep on living! So it’s time to give him back some of everything he gives you and take care of him a little. For example? Eat any of these fruits.
#1 Avocado
According to a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, eating an avocado (or avocado) every day can help lower “bad” cholesterol levels. On the other hand, they promote brain health and boost defenses. So stop doubting: dive into the avocado!
#2 Khaki
This named fruit is also very good for the heart. And the fact is that persimmon is very rich in polyphenols, which reduce not only cholesterol levels, but also triglyceride levels. As if that wasn’t enough, it has twice the fiber of an apple and a lot more antioxidants!
#3 Blueberry
It has been proven that regular consumption of blueberries reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by 40 percent. Because? These adorable little balls destroy bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol levels.
#4 Apple
This classic fruit is great for your heart health. In this regard, a study conducted at the University of Florida found that those who ate an apple every day for a year had a 23 percent reduction in bad cholesterol levels. And all this thanks to the richness of antioxidants and pectin substances!
#5 Strawberry
And finally, the cherry on the cake! This enjoyment helps fight the devastating effects of heart-damaging food. So you just ate a megaburger? Prevent your cholesterol levels from skyrocketing with a delicious bowl of strawberries. It will also help you balance your insulin levels and relax your blood vessels, thus promoting good circulation.

How many fruits and vegetables should you eat per day?
Seven or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day is healthier than the five currently recommended by many countries around the world and the World Health Organization, as it helps prolong life, according to a new study.

Work done on data from the National Health Survey between 2001 and 2008, which surveyed more than 65,000 men and women in England, shows that the more fruits and vegetables people eat, the less likely they are to die prematurely.

A University College London research team claims that eating seven times a day reduces the risk of dying from cancer or heart disease.

They also found that fresh vegetables had the highest protective effect, followed by lettuce and fruit. Juices do not provide any benefit, while canned fruit appears to increase the risk of death, the researchers said, possibly because they contain sugary substances.

“The message is clear: the more fruits and vegetables you eat, the less likely you are to die (prematurely) at any age,” says study leader Dr Oyinola Oyebode.

Is five enough?
But does that mean the recommended five servings a day isn’t enough?
The WHO guidelines say yes. Although it must be taken into account that these were published 25 years ago.

The nutritionists’ explanation is that five servings a day are sufficient to obtain a protective effect; This is a minimum and it is clear that the more the better.

For an adult, a serving is 80 g of fruits or vegetables, the sum of which gives a recommended minimum figure of 400 g per day.

In children, the amount depends on age and activity level. But the rough recommendation is that one serving should fit in the palm of your hand.

Fruits and vegetables should not be eaten on their own, but can be added to dishes such as soups, stews, or pasta.

Quantity or Variety?
These recommendations are not taken into account if a person eats only one type of vegetable or fruit five or more times a day.

For example, you should not eat five carrots to meet the recommendations. Although carrots are considered one of the servings, a person should have a varied diet in order to get the maximum benefit.

This is because different fruits and vegetables contain different combinations of fiber, nutrients, and vitamins that are good for your health.

Almost all fruits are useful in reducing the risk of premature death. Raw vegetables and fruits tend to have the most nutrients because cooking removes some of them.

Similarly, fresh fruits and vegetables are considered more nutritious than canned ones.

But frozen ones are also good, as well as dried fruits such as dates, raisins, figs or currants.

Vegetables and fruits included in store-bought meals or ready-made soups or pasta sauces may also count as servings. But experts urge people to take them only “occasionally” or in small amounts because they are often high in salt, sugar and fat.

What about juices and preserves?
Although a recent study does not recommend counting juices or canned fruit as a serving, governments such as the UK are now including this.

It should be clarified that juice should not contain sugar and is considered only one serving per day, since it has less fiber than a whole fruit or vegetable.

Fruits should be preserved in natural juice or water, but not with added sugar or salt, and even more so in syrup.

Legumes also count, albeit only as one serving, because they have fewer nutrients than other fruits and vegetables.

Smoothies can be considered more than one serving if they have all the pulp of the fruit or vegetable, and depending on their ingredients.

It should be clarified that potatoes are not included in the five or more recommended servings. This is because its main contribution to a healthy diet is starch, which is a good source of energy and aids in digestion.

This tuber belongs to the same group as bread and pasta. And it is recommended to leave the skin on while cooking, as it is a good source of fiber.

And what about superfoods?
While it may be tempting to think that eating a single fruit or vegetable that contains a particular nutrient, vitamin, or antioxidant is the answer to good health, this is not backed by science.

It is better not to dwell on one product in the hope that it will work wonders.
Instead, nutritionists say people should aim for a varied, well-balanced diet that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables.