fruit and vegetable in nutrition

Fruit and vegetables, like milk, is a very useful element in the diet of the people. For a country like India with a large vegetarian population, fruits and vegetables are a very important source of nutrition. The natural components of vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and cereals grains are known to protect against cancer. It is important to ensure that a diet provides healthy supply of vitamins A, C and E. Vitamin A has special anti tumor property.

Recent studies on nutrition and diet have shown that include plenty of vegetables and brightly colored fruits reduce the occurrence of cancers of the lung, bladder, breast, cervix and lining of the womb. There has been increasing awareness in India for the need of improvement in the nutritional status of the people. Various nutrition programmes are being implemented in the country by different sectors. Nutrition has been recognized as the most important social indicator of development. Hence it is very essential that our daily meals include a lot of consumption of fruits and vegetables.

On the evaluation of a fruit nutrition fact chart, One can conclude that one banana and a few strawberries give you as much as energy as one meal! One may not feel as fulfilled, but your body can really extract as much of energy out of fruit as required. Fruits contain a substantial amount of fibers which help our body in easy digestion. The water percentage of fruit (80%) is higher than other processed foods and thus it helps our body to retain the water percentage that our body needs. Some people make a distinction between fruit, fruit vegetables and vegetables. For e.g. a tomato, cucumber and avocado are fruit-vegetables. These fruits contain the same nutritious elements as the common fruits and contribute as much to ones diet as the fruits. Hence they are healthy enough to be included in ones diet as well.

Nutrition fact of fruits and vegetables show that five servings is actually the minimum number of fruits and vegetables to be eaten each day. Active women and most men need seven servings of fruits and vegetables a day to achieve maximum disease prevention benefits. Teen boys and active men need about 2,800 calories a day and hence should consume nine servings of fruits and vegetables. Children emulate their parents and hence should be encouraged to eat more fruits and vegetables. Have fruit and vegetable snacks readily available. Make sure one has fruit and vegetables around for kids to snack on. Cut up fruits and keep them visible in the refrigerator. Choose fruits and vegetables for snacks and at mealtimes for the entire family to live a well balanced and a healthy lifestyle.

Fruit and vegetable nutrition facts encourage the use of green leafy vegetables like spinach, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and fresh fruits like apple, orange, melon, papaya, strawberries, grapes etc in ones daily diet to avoid the risk of diseases and live a healthy life.

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