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| Artwork by Dr. Murad Abel |
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 11th,
2014 from http://jech.bmj.com/content/early/2014/03/20/jech-2014-203981.short?g=w_jech_ahead_tab
