When it comes to healthy lifestyle, what we eat primarily determines our overall health level. Consuming healthy produce, such as fruits and vegetables are crucial to maintain our wellness as they have been linked to improved health, and for a lot of good reasons. On this week's journal, we explain a few reasons why it is important to consume fruits and vegetables daily and how it may help keep you healthy. Read on!
1. Fulfills your daily fibre needs
Rich in soluble and insoluble fibre, fruits and vegetables are essential to be consumed as they regulate of your bowel movements and help prevent constipation. Moreover, eating fruits as your first meal of the day can help your digestion to have better absorption of the nutrients. Some fruits and vegetables that naturally contain high fibres are leafy greens, berries, and squash. You can also consume common fruits like bananas, apples, pears, and other green vegetables to increase your daily fibre intake.
2. Builds your immunity
Fruits and vegetables are great sources of vitamins and minerals, which can provide you with sufficient nutrients and antioxidants to protect against chronic diseases. For example, a diet rich in vegetables and fruits can lower blood pressure, reduce risk of heart disease and stroke, prevent some types of cancer, lower risk of eye and digestive problems, and have a positive effect upon blood sugar
3. Lowers your cholesterol risk
Consuming fruits and vegetables on a regular basis is one of the easiest habits to do in order to lower bad cholesterol (LDL) levels. Rich in antioxidants, fruits and vegetables prevent LDL cholesterol from oxidizing and forming plaques in your arteries. This can surely reduce your risk of getting cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke.
4. Keeps your appetite in check
Eating a portion of salad before lunch or dinner can help you feel full faster, so you won't be prone to overeating. Vegetables are also low in calories, making them a great choice for your waistline. When you have a habit to snack in between meals, switch to fruits as they can also keep you full for longer and prevents you from craving processed food.
5. Regulates your blood sugar
In general, foods that are high in fiber have lower glycemic index (GI) ratings. This includes fruits and vegetables, which are recommended to eat when you are prone to high blood sugar levels or have diabetes. Contrary to popular belief, you can consume fruits even though they contain sugar. They will not mess with your blood sugar levels, given that you're consuming a reasonable amount and eating them directly, not in a form of juice. Moreover, fruits do not lead to a sharp rise in your blood glucose levels compared to other carbohydrate containing foods like white or wholemeal bread, as well as other processed foods and drinks.
6. Maintains your mental health
A healthy diet that includes fruits and vegetables will not only help the body heal physically, but it also helps improve your mental health. This can be achieved due to the body ingesting the right kinds of food. The body will then be able to produce more serotonin, a hormone that regulates mood, sleep, and appetite. Serotonin is made in the digestive system, thus feeding the good bacteria in your gut can help increase serotonin production. Moreover, eating foods that contain prebiotics like leafy green vegetables can contribute to reducing levels of anxiety and improve the mental outlook. However, it is also crucial for people to avoid certain types of foods such as white sugar, processed food, and refined ingredients in order to have full effect of fruits and vegetables health benefit.
7. Takes care of your skin and hair naturally
Instead of retreating to beauty products to solve your skin and hair problems, try incorporating fruits and vegetables to your daily diet. Soon enough, you'll see improvements without any significant side effects to the body. Various fruits and vegetables are rich in Vitamin A, C, E, as well as polyphenolic antioxidants and carotenoids. All of these have substantiated positive effects, plus antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits to ensure a healthy, glowing skin from within.
