The whole month of September is dedicated to fruits and vegetables. The Produce for Better Health Foundation and the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention partnered up in 2005 to promote the 5 a day program for eating more fruits and vegetables in your diet. It is important to get your daily regimen of fruits and vegetables in your diet daily. Today, we will be talking all about fruits and vegetables.
What type of fruit is a part of the fruit group in choosemyplate.gov? Any fruit or 100% fruit juice will be a part of the fruit group. The types of fruit that are available to eat are fresh, canned, frozen, or dried. Each person will need a different daily intake for fruits. This will depend on age, sex, and the level of physical activity. Eating fruits has several healthy benefits. Obtaining a healthy diet may reduce risk for heart disease and protect against certain types of cancers. Also, having fruits that are lower in calories per cup instead of higher calorie foods can be useful in helping to lower calorie intake. If you do not have this already you should keep a bowl of whole fruit on the table, counter, or in the refrigerator in your home. Instead of grabbing a bag of chips, reach for this bowl that is filled with fruits for a healthier alternative snack!
We will now be talking about the vegetable group. The vegetables that are incorporated in this group are any vegetable or 100% vegetable juice. These vegetables can be raw or cooked; fresh, frozen, canned, or dried/dehydrated. In this category vegetables are broken down into 5 subgroups that involve: dark-green vegetables, starchy vegetables, red and orange vegetables, beans and peas, and other vegetables. As with the fruit group the amount of vegetables that need to be consumed per day depends on your age, sex, and level of physical activity. Always purchase vegetables that are in season, these vegetables tend to cost less and have a great flavor because they are in season. When you are selecting vegetables you should select those with more potassium, which include sweet potatoes, white potatoes, white beans, tomato products, beet greens, soybeans, lima beans, spinach, lentils and kidney beans.
It is important to choose fruits and vegetables in your diet. This will help you to be healthy and to stay healthy. If you have any questions about this topic you may visit choosemyplate.gov or talk to your pharmacist!