To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.
We've all heard the phrase 'Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables", usually stated all in one breath; so it's easy to think we can just pick either/or, because it really doesn't matter as far as nutrients go. So now you're trying to figure out which one to pick, 'fruits or vegetables'. I guess you could simply make a random choice and 'Flip a Coin'. Heads it's Fruits and Tails it's Veggies!
But wait. Is it that simple? Should you really just choose either/or? Is it 'eat plenty of fruits AND vegetables' or 'eat plenty of fruits OR vegetables'? Does it really matter?
Variety Is The Key
Fruits and vegetables provide natural plant compounds that help keep the body healthy and variety is the key.
Vitamin C is just as readily available from berries as from broccoli; and potassium is in both beets and bananas. But fruits and veggies also have a great and varied array of phytonutrients (natural plant compounds that promote good health). So to maximize the broadest range of these phytonutrients it's important to eat both fruits and veggies.
Color and even the odor of a particular fruit or vegetable tell a story about the particular phytonutrients available in a food. Take for instance, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. They all have very strong odors and you definitely won't find these particular smelly compounds in fruits. Smelly as they may be, they are healthy smells!
Colors
Blueberries, pomegranates, blackberries, plums, prunes, eggplant and more. Think about their dark bluish/purple color. This color is due to the anthocyanin content. Anthocyanin is an antioxidant that provides many heart healthy benefits. The darker the blue color, the higher the concentration of the phyto-chemicals and antioxidant benefits.
Green veggies like broccoli, cabbage, bok choy, brussel sprouts, and dark green leafy vegetables contain several antioxidants (anti-cancer compounds) and are also rich in vitamin K, folic acid and potassium.
Green/yellow vegetables and fruits are very rich in lutein. Lutein is important for eye health and helps prevent macular degeneration. Some of these green & yellow fruits and vegetables, like avocado, kiwi, and spinach are also very rich in vitamin C.
Grapes, cranberries, tomatoes, watermelon, guava, and pink grapefruit are all rich in lycopene, flavonoids, resveratrol and vitamin C. Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant providing that beautiful red color. These antioxidants are being investigated for their cancer preventive properties.
Carotenoids or beta carotene is responsible for the yellow-orange-red pigment color in certain fruits and vegetables. These are high in vitamin A and retinol. Vitamin A is needed for a strong immune function and healthy vision. Mangoes, apricots, carrots, pumpkins and squashes are high in these carotenoids.
The Moral Of The Story
So, the moral of the story really is "Eat plenty of fruits AND vegetables". Think of a rainbow as you consider what to choose. A rainbow of colored fruits and veggies to ensure you are really getting all the wonderful health benefits.
When you shop, what colors do you see in your cart? Do you see a rainbow of blues, purples, greens, reds, yellow and orange? WOW and just think of this, there are about 4,000 phytochemicals available in nature and to get all their wonderful health benefits, we need to eat all the beautiful colors.
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