No foods are as nutrient dense as fruit and vegetables, rich in healthy nutrients like vitamins A and C, folate, and potassium.
These fresh foods from nature also contain gut-healthy fibre, are low in energy, and are virtually free from less desirable nutrients like cholesterol, sugar, sodium, and saturated fat.
This is part of why a diet rich in fruit and veg can help manage our weight, lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and some cancers, and improve gut health.
And in case you needed even more reasons to up your fruit and veg intake, low intakes of fruit are linked to over 520 000 heart disease deaths and more than 1.2 million stroke deaths each year.
Low veggie intake is estimated to result in just under 810 000 heart disease deaths and over 210 000 stroke deaths.
Pumping up the fruit and veggies in your diet is made super easy with FitChef’s nutrient-dense meals.
References
- Miller V et al. Estimated global, regional, and national cardiovascular disease burdens related to fruit and vegetable consumption: an analysis from the Global Dietary Database. Current Developments in Nutrition. 2019;3(S1). Available from: https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzz028.FS01-01-19.
- Ndanuko RN et al. Dietary Patterns and Blood Pressure in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Advances in Nutrition. 2016;7(1):76-89. Available from https://doi.org/10.3945/an.115.009753.
- Schwingshackl L et al. Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and Changes in Anthropometric Variables in Adult Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies. PLOS One. 2015. Available from https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0140846
- World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF). Wholegrains, vegetables and fruit and the risk of cancer. Available from: https://www.wcrf.org/sites/default/files/Wholegrains-veg-and-fruit.pdf.