7 Servings of Fruit and Vegetables a Day for Better Health?

Artwork by Dr. Murad Abel

We have heard the saying that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Never has this been truer than in today’s world. According to a recent study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health a whopping 7 servings of fruit and vegetables reduces risks of premature death by 42%. Vegetables still trump fruit but both have great benefits and one should do better at incorporating this food into their lives.

The researchers studied data with 65,000 adults over the age of 35 between the years of 2001 and 2008. The survey asked about fruit and vegetable consumption within any particular 24 hour period. Portions were defined as 80 grams or 3 ounces each. The information was compared against mortality data over 8 years to see who is passing away. 

On average participants ate 3.8 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. Those that ate more not only were less likely to die but also had lower BMI. They were better protected against heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. Eating at least 7 servings was beneficial but eating more vegetables seemed to have additional benefits. 

A great portion of fitness relies on what you eat. You can go to the gym everyday and work out like a bandit to raise your health level. However, by changing the types of foods you eat by incorporating more fruits and vegetables, while reducing high carbohydrate foods, you are likely to make the fitness journey much easier. The body will naturally react strongly to a change of diet. 

The hardest part of a healthy diet is ensuring that better alternatives are available when you need them. Buying lots of fruit and putting them in your briefcase is beneficial. Likewise, cooking meals heavy on vegetables is also beneficial. When you are hungry and need to eat something quick make sure you have lots of the healthy stuff sitting around. 

Kypridemos, et. al. (2013). Fruit and vegetable consumption and non-communicable diseas: time to update the ‘five a day’message? J Epidemiol Community Health. Retrieved April 11^th, 2014 from http://jech.bmj.com/content/early/2014/03/20/jech-2014-203981.short?g=w_jech_ahead_tab

Three Rules to Eating for Weight loss

You want to eat right, lose weight, and improve your health but seem to be having a hard time reaching your goal. Pumping it out on the stair stepper everyday will only do so much if you don’t think about your eating habits. Making a few adjustments to your diet will go a long way in achieving your fitness goals without wasting hours. The three simple rules are:

1-Cut back on portions.

2-Reduce white bread, refined pastas, and crackers.

3-Move to low fat dairy and reduce portions.

The vast majority of Americans are overweight due to lack of physical exercise and poor eating habits. Poor eating habits are the main cause of increased pants size and poor health above and beyond exercise. The amount of calories still takes the lead position in weight loss. No fitness training plan is complete without adjusting the food you are eating. 

We all love bread but many conventional breads don’t love us back. White bread, white pasta, white rice, crackers, pretzels, and other finely processed grains will damage your weight loss prospects through high carbohydrates (1). Whole grains provide the right ingredients due to the grain not being crushed and the nutrients removed. Look for whole grains, brown rice, and whole wheat pasta as alternatives (2).  

Cream, milk, butter and cheese will damage your weight loss achievements. Lower your dairy consumption and switch to low-fat alternatives. Dairy products contain milk sugar that slows down weight loss and generates a strong insulin response (3). You can use low-fat varieties such as skim milk, low-fat yogurt, and low-fat cheese while still getting the calcium you need (4).