What everyone should know about fruits and vegetables
“Eat more fruits and vegetables” I’d be rich if I’d collected a dime every time I heard that. Fruit and vegetables are healthy. That’s nothing new so far. So why aren’t we eating enough – and how do you change that in a fun way? Here are the answers.
There is still room for improvement:
The average person eats just half of what health organizations recommend.
This article could change that. At least for those who read it. Because the more you think about food, the more likely you are to eat it.
Well, and from now on, you will think more often about fruit and vegetables – if you stick with them now.
Did you know that avocados, peppers, and tomatoes are fruits, not vegetables? Then it would be best if you read on now.
What are fruits and vegetables?
Fruit and vegetables are collective terms for which there is no sharp distinction.
There is no scientific definition of vegetables. Most of the time, we mean the edible part of a plant: roots, bulbs, stems, leaves, etc.
The botanical definition of a fruit is the part of a plant that contains seeds.
If you ask a linguistic historian, he will tell you that the term fruit is an amalgamation of the words “ob Essen,” which means something like “add-on to the basic food.”
Botanists group seeds and fruits as “generally” eaten raw and taste sweet or tart, but not all fruits taste sweet.
These examples show this:
Fruits Vegetables Aubergine Kale Avocado Carrots Cucumber Potato Coffee Beetroot Coconut Spinach Pumpkin White cabbage Paprika Yam Tomato Onion
Quiz question: What are mushrooms, fruit, or vegetables?
Now hold on tight.
Mushrooms are neither a fruit nor a vegetable. They’re not even plants.
But, just mushrooms. Mushrooms form their own kingdom among living beings – just like animals or plants.
Even if mushrooms are not vegetables – they are still good for you.
Why do fruits and veggies help you reach a bikini body?
You may have trouble finding a reason not to eat fruits and vegetables every day:
- Fruits and vegetables are alkaline-forming. In this way, they contribute to the maintenance of your bones and muscles.
- Fruits and vegetables are rich in essential nutrients: antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytochemicals.
- Fruits and vegetables contain a lot of water. This will help you stay hydrated.
- Fruits and vegetables are low in calories. Most people eat about 1.5 to 2 kg of food every day. low – calorie foods help you get and stay lean without feeling hungry.
- Fruits and vegetables protect against a variety of civilization diseases.
Which are also presumably favored by a lack of vital nutrients.
Many studies suggest that if you eat enough fruits and vegetables every day, your risk of developing any of the following conditions decreases:
- cardiovascular diseases
- Various cancers (colon, prostate, breast, uterus, stomach, lung, lymph, ovary, pancreas, thyroid)
- High blood cholesterol
- high blood pressure
- type 2 diabetes
- obesity
- Heart attack
- eye diseases
- asthma
- Chronic bronchitis
- osteoporosis
Antioxidants play a key role in protecting your body.
What are antioxidants, and why do you need them?
Natural plant foods, especially colorful ones, are the best source of antioxidants for us.
You need antioxidants to fight off free radicals.
Have you ever wondered why an apple turns brown when you cut it open?
It is the work of so-called free radicals.
Free radicals are aggressive electron particles made of light and oxygen. They make the top apple cells burst.
Okay, let’s experiment: Now, you cut the apple open and sprinkle it with lemon juice or, if you like, with vitamin C.
The result: the cut surface remains bright.
Vitamin C intercepts the free radicals and protects the cells from oxidation, i.e., bursting.
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant. It protects all your body cells from free radical attacks.
Plants store many antioxidants where they carry out photosynthesis with the participation of oxygen: in the leaves.
The colored pigmented parts of a plant are also rich in antioxidants.
Anthocyanins, responsible for the purple-blue of blueberries and blackberries, form the chemical protective mechanisms of the plant.
You can usually find fat-soluble antioxidants in the heavy elements of a plant, like its seeds.
Studies indicate that people who consume a lot of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory components in their diet are less likely to suffer from neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s or cardiovascular system diseases as they age.
Clinical studies and investigations on entire population groups indicate that 20% of all cancers could be prevented simply by increasing the consumption of fruit and vegetables.
So there is much to be said about eating more fruits and vegetables.
You’re probably asking yourself the same question as me.
Which fruits and vegetables are best?
Even if the consumption of green leafy vegetables has many advantages, you can use this simple rule as a guide:
Almost all-natural products are good for you.
Studies show that the more diverse, the better. You don’t necessarily have to resort to flying fruit or imported goods from around the world.
Visiting a farmer or weekly market in your area is not just an experience. He also shows you the diversity that nature offers us.
Here are some examples of plant-based “superfoods” that are particularly high in protein.
Vegan protein bombs: fruits and vegetables that make you slim and strong
Note: The protein quotient (PQ) shows you how many grams of protein food provides if you eat 100 kcal of it.
Plant-based Foods P CH F kcal PQ Organifi Green Juice 53.3 40.0 0.0 342 16 Artichoke 2.4 2.6 0.1 22 11 Cauliflower 2.4 4.7 0.3 26 9 Brown lentils 23.3 49.2 1.4 309 8 Broccoli 3.0 5.4 0.4 31 10 Watercress 2.2 2.9 0.2 17 13 Mushrooms 2.1 3.0 0.3 18 11 Protein bread 31.1 4.7 9.0 222 14 Endive 1.8 2.5 0.2 16 11 Lamb's Lettuce 2.0 1.8 0.4 21 10 Oatmeal 12 63.0 7 370 3 Hazelnuts 12 5.8 61 635 2 King Oyster Mushroom 4.4 3.3 0.0 33 13 Green beans 2.4 5.0 0.0 33 7 Green peas 7 11.0 0.4 84 8 Chickpeas 9 16.8 1.6 138 7 Kidney beans 21 36.5 1 295 7 Almonds 24 5.7 53 589 4 Chard 2.1 3.7 0.2 23 9 Natto 17.7 1.8 11.0 176 10 Okra 2.1 2.2 0.2 23 9 Cauliflower 4.0 7.8 0.5 43 9 Red lenses 26.7 57.8 1.5 352 8 Arugula 2.6 3.7 0.7 28 9 Chives 3.0 4.2 0.6 30 10 Seitan 31.6 7.7 2.1 139 16 Soybeans 11.9 10.4 5.9 149 8 Bean sprouts 5.5 7.1 1.0 55 10 Spinach 2.7 3.4 0.4 23 12 Spirulina, fresh 5.9 2.1 0.4 37 16 Spirulina, dried 59.8 20.2 4.1 367 16 Mushroom 3.6 6.6 0.4 32 11 Sweet lupine, crushed 33.1 6.2 5.9 292 11 Tempeh 19.0 1.8 7.7 152 12 Tofu 8.1 1.9 4.8 81 10 Walnuts 16 6.0 71 723 2 White beans 21 35.0 1.6 285 7 Zucchini 1.8 3.0 0.2 19 9
Tip: You can find more protein bombs from nature in this table of protein foods.
How much fruit and vegetables do you need per day?
The DGE recommends 5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day, which corresponds to around 500-700 grams.
Many other countries recommend the same amount based on older observational studies.
A more recent study examining the eating habits of over 65,000 people for about eight years challenges this recommendation.
The researchers observed that the mortality rate was 42% lower in people who ate 7 or more servings of fruit and vegetables a day.
My recommendation is the following: If you want to lose weight or do a lot of sport, you should calculate a little more:
I recommend 10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
So 1 kilogram and more. (2 lbs)
So if the average person eats 2 kilograms of food daily, half of your plate should be covered with fruit and vegetables.
Some people don’t always make it.
Very many even:
- 88% of Americans eat less than five servings of fruit and vegetables daily.
- On average, we Germans eat less than 300 grams of fruit and vegetables per capita daily.
A vitamin deficiency is, unfortunately, not the exception but the rule.
Some people don’t want to and can’t. One of my coaching clients is a Bundeswehr doctor and sometimes spends a long time abroad.
Even if the supply there is good, the supply of fresh fruit and vegetables is a challenge for him. Then a dietary supplement can make sense.
However, fresh fruit and vegetables are always the best alternatives. You will now find out how you eat more of it out of habit.
7 simple strategies on how to eat more fruits and vegetables
The average person eats 1.5 to 2 kilos (3 – 4 pounds) of food a day.
Less than 300 grams of this is fruit and vegetables.
So there is still room for improvement.
If you now say, “there’s still something to do,” then you don’t have to change your entire diet overnight.
It’s a good idea to stay relaxed and take it one step at a time.
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Forces Your Body to Burn Body Fat as Quickly as Physically Possible
Eating fruits and vegetables has little to do with genetics or predisposition. It has much to do with healthy habits you want to build casually.
It is a good first goal to get to the 5 servings of fruit and vegetables (approx. 500-700 g) per day that the government still recommends.
Once you hit that milestone, you can target 7 and then 10 servings a day while noticing how your body changes.
Here are 7 simple strategies to help you eat more fruits and veggies every day.
It is best to start with a particularly easy variant for you.
Fruits and Vegetables Trick #1 – A green update for your lunch and dinner
Eat something (or more) green for every lunch and dinner.
It’s one of the easiest tricks to eat more veggies every day and make better and better food choices.
You don’t have to rely on salad & co every time — just a green vegetable – even if it’s just a little extra.
As you stick with it — first a few days, then a few weeks — you’ll automatically incorporate more veggies into your meals. And it misses when it should be missing.
Fruits and Veg Trick #2 – Make a green smoothie
I know that the term “green smoothie” sounds nasty for some.
And to be honest, that’s what the Green Smoothie looks like: nasty.
But it tastes world-class.
No, the green is not created by food coloring or woodruff powder.
That green is real, through fresh green vegetables. Spinach, broccoli, chard, cabbage leaves, mint, or parsley are good ingredients for your magic potion.
With the five magical ingredients described here, you can create a highly explosive nutrient bomb that tastes more like “dessert” than lettuce.
Fruits and Vegetables Trick #3 – Go shopping once a week (at least)
All good resolutions are useless if you don’t have what you want to eat more of.
A balanced diet should be easy for you.
Conscious grocery shopping is one of the most important habits if you want to look good.
Do you know that?
You don’t feel like cookies at all. But when you see a plate of freshly baked, fragrant biscuits in front of you, you’ll probably grab them.
You can use the effect:
If you have fruit and vegetables within reach, you eat more of them.
It’s a good idea when planning your shopping to always have enough fruits and vegetables at home.
At this point, willpower is invested much more sensibly than when following dubious diets.
Fruits and Veg. Trick #4 – Limit processed sugar to once a week
It’s a good idea to acknowledge foods with added sugar for what they are: desserts.
If you’ve been eating many sugary foods, stay relaxed and gradually reduce sugar consumption.
You can develop a new awareness of the (sugary) things you eat every day – a simple food diary will help you with that.
As you reduce the number of processed foods in your diet weekly, you will eventually notice how your taste buds change automatically.
Suddenly you are enjoying the natural sweetness of fruit and vegetables more and more – while industrially sweetened foods appear to you more and more often as “actually tasty, but somehow too sweet.”
Total renunciation is not the goal.
You want to find the “sweet spot” of a lifestyle that makes you happy – and keeps you healthy.
Frozen fruit is a great dessert, by the way. I love frosted mango, pineapple, or grapes.
Fruits and Vegetables Trick #5 – Try a new type of fruit or veg every week
Fancy an adventure?
Maybe you’ve overlooked it all along, your new favorite food. It’s not only healthy to try new fruits and vegetables – it’s fun too.
It’s a good idea to make it a habit and experiment regularly. You don’t have to overdo it.
It’s enough if you try a new fruit or vegetable weekly.
Over time, you automatically come up with more and more alternatives for eating a balanced diet – even when traveling.
Fruits and Vegetables Trick #6 – Cook at home on the weekdays
Even I don’t cook at home every night, and you don’t have to either.
But at least on Sundays through Thursdays, I try to prepare something fresh every evening.
The better I stick with it, the easier it is for me to maintain a low body fat percentage.
Lose 6 Months of Flab in Only 14 Days…
“Photoshoot Preparation Diet Plan”
Forces Your Body to Burn Body Fat as Quickly as Physically Possible
In the Visual Impact program from Rusty Moore are some of my favorite dishes that are quick to make and have lots of veggies.
They’re incredibly healthy, and they even taste absolutely great.
Fruits and Vegetables Trick #7 – Start the day with a greens powder
A gently produced fruit and vegetable concentrate in the form of a greens powder is an easy way to compensate for deficits.
You can also fill gaps in your diet if you don’t always eat optimally or if you don’t manage the ten servings of fruit and vegetables every day.
I came across Organifi while researching the hype about greens powder for a blog article.
Many powders are ineffective at best.
This one is good, even if it’s marketed a little clumsily (if you look at the sales page, you’ll know what I mean).
A tall glass of water with Organifi is part of my daily morning routine.
And the same applies here: no amount of concentrate can replace fresh fruit and vegetables, no matter how good.
Fruits and vegetables – Conclusion
We will long carry the genome of our ancestors, the hunter-gatherers.
Even when prehistoric man ate meat, he did not disdain fruit and vegetables.
After all, a root tuber is killed faster than a wild boar.
So our bodies have been conditioned over thousands of years to extract and utilize the nutrients found in plants.
Fruit and vegetables are also slimming.
Even sugar-rich fresh fruit does not affect your blood sugar level nearly as much as processed food due to its fiber.
This will help you get through the day feeling satisfied and nourished — while avoiding cravings, getting lean, and staying.
If you have been eating less than ten servings of fruit and vegetables daily, you can stay relaxed and gradually change your diet. You now know seven simple options:
- Something green for lunch and dinner
- A green smoothie
- Shop at least once a week
- Fruits and vegetables in sight
- Industrial sugar no more than once a week
- A new type of fruit or vegetable every week
- Cook at home during the weekday evenings
The option to supplement with a concentrate like Organifi is perhaps the simplest.
Here’s one thing to keep in mind: The green powder will likely have similar health benefits, but fresh fruit and vegetables remain the best choice.
Lose 6 Months of Flab in Only 14 Days…
“Photoshoot Preparation Diet Plan”
Forces Your Body to Burn Body Fat as Quickly as Physically Possible