| Eat 5 a day!! or even eat 10 a day. Both of these | | | | |
| slogans are used regularly to encourage people to | | | | 1. The fibre content in fruit and vegetables, ultimately |
| eat a healthy diet, so that they may live long and | | | | aids the digestive process. |
| healthy lives. | | | | 2. Vitamins - Vitamin C and the B complex vitamins |
| Encouraging people to eat more fruit and vegetables | | | | are found in all fruit and vegetables whereas vitamin |
| is seen a top priority by those who are promoting a | | | | A is found in read yellow and orange fruit and |
| healthier diet. Many serious illnesses are caused by | | | | vegetables such as carrots and tomatoes. |
| nutritional deficiency due to a diet made up of poor | | | | 3. Minerals - The minerals copper, iron, zinc, iodine, |
| quality food and far to many people are eating | | | | manganese, molybdenum, selenium and potassium are |
| processed foods and fast foods that have little or no | | | | found in certain fruit and vegetables |
| nutritional value. | | | | 4. Phytonutrients- More recently research has been |
| Research indicates that nine or ten servings of fruits | | | | focusing on a different set of nutrients called |
| and vegetables a day is optimal, whereas dietary | | | | phytonutrients. These bioactive substances are found |
| guidelines tend to recommend a minimum of five | | | | in all plants - not just fruit and vegetables but also in |
| servings a day. However it would appear that most | | | | flowers, herbs spices, seeds, nuts, oils, cereals, |
| populations are consistently not reaching even half | | | | pulses, chocolate as well as beverages such as tea |
| this goal. Attempts to increase the intake of fruit and | | | | and coffee. Many but not all of these nutrients are |
| vegetables is proving to be a major public health | | | | highly coloured. There are 20 top phytonutrients each |
| challenge. | | | | with their own special name and properties |
| So why are vegetables so beneficial to our health? | | | | 5. |