“An apple a day keeps doctor away” is perhaps one of the best proverbs to describe the importance of fruits and vegetables in our diet. A balanced diet helps us in maintaining good health and helps prevent the onset of some serious diseases. Eating well need not be expensive or complicated.
Fruits and veggies matter:
There is a common notion that meat is the best source of proteins and minerals as it tastes good to mouth. But you should never forget that along with proteins and minerals, it gives way to fats which could be deadly as far as your body weight is concerned.
Fruits and vegetables on the other hand do not taste as good as meat but are nutritional powerhouses. They are packed with beneficial fibers, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins like vitamin A (retinol – obtained from carrots), vitamin C (ascorbic acid – obtained from citrus/lemon) and vitamin k (phylloquinone – obtained from green leafy vegetables) and minerals such as magnesium, zinc, phosphorous and folic acids, which matter most for healthy living.
The life savers:
Fruits and vegetables can be tagged as life savers since they can significantly reduce the risk of many chronic conditions such as heart disease and some cancers including bowel cancer. A good example can be folic acid obtained from fruits and vegetables that reduces blood levels of homocysteine, a substance that may be a risk factor for coronary heart disease.
Other health benefits attributed to eating fruits and vegetables are reducing the symptoms of asthma, improving bowel functions and delaying the development of cataracts (clouding that develops in the crystalline lens of eye).
Usage of fruits and vegetables to manage your weight:
Eating fruits and vegetables can help achieve dietary goals including vitamin and fiber intake, reducing fat intake and helping to maintain a healthy weight. To lose weight, you must have a low calorie diet which is best obtained from fruits and vegetables.
The average calorie content to be consumed per day for a healthy living is around 1200 to 1600 calories. If you still feel hungry, you can add up 100 or 200 calories and likewise you can cut short up to 200 calories if you feel your tummy is full. But make sure that an intake of 1000 calories per day is must.
Eat breakfast, and eat smaller meals throughout the day. A healthy breakfast can jumpstart your metabolism, and eating small, healthy meals throughout the day keeps your energy up and your metabolism going.
Here is an example of a diet of 1000-1200 calories along with some of the low-calorie fruits and vegetables:
Powerful breakfast (Calories) | Moderate lunch (Calories) | Mild dinner (Calories) |
Spinach (12) | Cooked broccoli (2) | Asparagus (22) |
Raw onion (27) | Broccoli (12) | Green beans (18) |
Banana (95) | Carrot (35) | Broccoli (2) |
Apple (81) | Beans (100) | Spinach (12) |
Tomato soup (102) | Lettuce (10) | 1 cup grapes (58) |
Cereals (200) | Tomato (24) | Apple (81) |
General thumb rule is to eat five kinds of vegetables and two kinds of fruits every day for good health.
Choosing the right combo:
Any fruits and vegetables are better than no fruits and vegetables. Selecting the right combination of fruits and vegetables to complete a perfect diet is a mighty task.
Some of the common types of fruits that are readily available include:
Orange (65 calories) | grapes (58 calories) |
bananas (95 calories) | strawberries (45 calories) |
watermelon (50 calories) | apple (81 calories) |
Some of the common types of vegetables that are readily available include:
Lettuce (10 calories) | spinach (12 calories) |
cabbage (16 calories) | cauliflower (30 calories) |
broccoli (2 calories) | asparagus (22 calories) |
onion (27 calories) |
Fruits and vegetables as part of your diet:
Fruits in the form of whole fruit are better than drinks and juices as it loses fiber content when churned or mixed. Fruit salad without cream is also one of the most preferred healthy diet and a good form of consuming fruit.
Vegetables are often cooked, although some kinds of vegetables are eaten raw. Cooked vegetables are deprived of some minerals during the process of cooking and also add up the calories from the cooking ingredients like condiments, oil, spices etc. So, it is preferable to consume nicely washed raw vegetables over cooked ones. Also, including vegetable salad in your diet is one of the best options to lose weight, as it contains all the nutrients and is also a rich calorie diet.
Canned or frozen fruits and vegetables are good choice in the cold weather conditions or in absence of fresh products, however caution must be taken on consuming products containing added sugars, preservatives, syrups, sauces, creams and other ingredients that add calories.
Types of fruits and veggies to be avoided:
Some of the fruits and vegetables that should be avoided to help lose weight include coconut (rich in oil content), vegetables with creamy sauces, fried or breaded vegetables, canned fruit packed in heavy syrup and dried fruit (all the water removed & all the sugar retained) which is perhaps a good source of fiber but can be high in calories due to retained sugar.
Above all avoid “diet thinking”. There are no good foods or bad foods, all foods can be part of healthy eating, when eaten in moderation.
Believe it or not, but it is YOU who is more important than your weight or body size. Your health and happiness can be hurt by drastic weight loss plans. Instead of trying extreme approaches, focus on making small lifestyle changes that you can stick with for life. This approach will leave you feeling healthier and happier in the long run.
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