• Topics: Family Youth and Community Sciences | Shelnutt, Karla P | Stolarz, Jamie

Fruits and Vegetables¹

Our parents always told us to eat more fruits and vegetables. They were right. Eating fruits and vegetables has many important health benefits. However, most adults and children do not eat enough of these nutritious foods.

This publication highlights the nutrient content and health benefits of fruits and vegetables. It also includes the recommended daily amounts of fruits and vegetables and tips on purchasing and eating more of them.

Benefits

Fruits and vegetables give us energy. They are cholesterol-free and most are low in fat. Fruits and vegetables are packed with nutrition and are nature's original fast foods because they are great to eat on the go. Read the following sections to see why fruits and vegetables are so great for our bodies!

Fiber

Fruits and vegetables are rich in fiber. Fiber fills you up, keeps you regular, and can help lower the amount of cholesterol in your blood. It also decreases your risk for cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in the US. Eating more fiber rich foods is important because most of us do not consume enough fiber. The average fiber intake of children and adults in the U.S. is less than half the recommended amount. The following table lists the amount of fiber recommended for different age groups.

Weight Loss

Most fruits and vegetables are low in calories. Additionally, the fiber in fruits and vegetables fills you up so that you eat less of other foods. Therefore, including fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy diet can help you feel more satisfied after meals, which can be helpful in maintaining a healthy weight or possibly weight loss. As you increase your intake of fruits and vegetables, make sure to decrease your intake of higher calorie foods that are less nutritious.

Vitamins & Minerals

In addition to fiber, fruits and vegetables contain many vitamins and minerals. For example, they are important sources of vitamin C, folate, beta carotene, vitamin E, potassium, and magnesium.

Vitamin C plays many roles in your body's health. It's important in tissue growth and repair, tooth and gum health, wound healing, and iron absorption.

Folate is a B vitamin found in fruits and vegetables. Folate is required to make red blood cells. It's especially important to consume enough folate if you are a female of child-bearing age. Getting enough folate before pregnancy and during the first month of pregnancy decreases the risk that a mother will have a child with a birth defect.

Vegetables are an important source of two more vitamins: beta carotene, which becomes vitamin A in the body, and vitamin E. Vitamin A helps keep your eyes and skin healthy and protects against infection. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that protects your cells from damage.

Potassium is a mineral that helps you maintain a normal blood pressure. This mineral may also reduce bone loss and decrease your risk for kidney stones.

Fruits and vegetables also provide magnesium. Magnesium is used by your cells for many important functions, including making energy and moving your muscles.

In addition to vitamins and minerals, fruits and vegetables contain phytochemicals, which are important for health. That's why it's important to eat whole fruits and vegetables and not just take vitamin and mineral supplements to meet your nutrient needs.

Health

People who eat more generous portions of fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy diet compared to those who only consume a small amount have a decreased risk for many chronic diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and type-2 diabetes.

Recommendations

It's important to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables to provide your body with different nutrients.

The recommended amount of fruits and vegetables you need depends on your age, gender, and level of physical activity. You can get a personalized intake recommendation for fruits, vegetables and the other food groups using the MyPyramid Plan on MyPyramid.gov.

Fruit

Fruit can be purchased fresh, frozen, canned, dried, or juiced. Eating the whole fruit, as opposed to drinking fruit juice, is recommended because the whole fruit contains fiber.

Fruit recommendations are given in cups. It is recommended that most adults need about two cups of fruit per day. The daily recommendation for children is one to two cups of fruit depending on the child's age and gender. A cup of fruit is equal to one cup of fresh, frozen, or canned fruit, one cup of 100% fruit juice, or a half cup of dried fruit.

Some examples of one cup of fruit are: one small apple, one large banana, one large orange, one large peach, and eight large strawberries.

Vegetables

Like fruits, vegetables can be purchased fresh, frozen, canned, or dried. Vegetable recommendations are also given in cups. The general recommendation for adults is two and a half cups of vegetables per day. About one to three cups of vegetables per day are recommended for children depending on the child's age and gender. One cup of vegetables is equal to one cup of raw or cooked vegetables, one cup of 100% vegetable juice, or two cups of raw, leafy greens.

In addition, it is also recommended to eat vegetables from each of the five vegetable subgroups over the course of a week.

The five vegetable subgroups include:

• dark green vegetables

• orange vegetables

• dry beans and peas

• starchy vegetables

• other vegetables

Examples of foods from the vegetable subgroups are listed in the following table.

Tips

Money-Saving Tips

Eating fruits and vegetables does not have to be expensive. Here are some tips to make your purchases cost-effective:

• When purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables, choose those that are in season. Seasonal fruits and vegetables are less expensive and often taste better than fruits and vegetables that are not in season.

• Shop locally. Check out your local farmers' markets for potential bargains on locally-grown fresh fruits and vegetables.

• Be a soup-er chef. Use extra veggies in your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry to make a tasty soup.

• Increase the shelf-life of your fruits and vegetables. Check for frozen fruits and vegetables in the freezer aisle of your grocery store. You can also wash and freeze fresh fruit. Fresh vegetables can be cooked and frozen, too.

• Store your fruits and vegetables properly so that they do not spoil as quickly and go to waste.

Tips for Eating More Fruits and Vegetables

Eating more fruits and vegetables is fun and easy. Try some of these tips to include more fruits and vegetables in your diet:

• Pack fruit such as an apple, orange or dried fruit in your purse or backpack.

• Top your pizza with vegetables such as broccoli, bell peppers, onions, spinach, and mushrooms.

• Load your sandwich with vegetables. Try spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, shredded carrots, bell peppers, cucumbers, and mushrooms.

• Add fruit to your breakfast. Fruits such as bananas and berries go great on cereal, oatmeal, bagels, English muffins, waffles, and pancakes.

• Pack your rice with nutrients by adding vegetables or dried fruit to it.

• Give your pasta some pizzazz by adding zucchini, tomatoes, spinach, and broccoli.

• Let vegetables steal the spotlight at dinner. Make half your plate vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, beans, and collard greens.

• Dip raw vegetables in low-fat dip for a crunchy snack.

Purchasing Tips

• Purchase low-sodium, canned vegetables or rinse canned vegetables with water to reduce the sodium content.

• Look for dried fruits without added sugar by reading the list of ingredients. Some fruits that may not have added sugar are raisins, prunes, and apricots.

• When purchasing canned fruit, choose fruits that are in fruit juice or light syrup instead of heavy syrup.

Food Safety

Properly preparing and storing fruits and vegetables can help prevent foodborne illness and save time and money.

Keep fresh fruits and vegetables separate from raw meat in the shopping cart to prevent potential cross-contamination from one food to another. These foods should also be separated during food storage and preparation.

Washing fresh fruits and vegetables is important because it reduces pathogens that may be on them. These foods should be washed right before cooking or eating. However, pre-washed, ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables can be used without washing.

If a fruit or vegetable is washed, and it's not going to be cooked or eaten immediately, it should be thoroughly dried. A good way to wash fresh fruits and vegetables is to remove any outer leaves, wash under running water, scrubbing with a clean brush or hands, and dry using a clean towel.

Learn More

For more information about fruits and vegetables, contact one of the following reliable sources in your county:

• Cooperative Extension Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Educator (look in the blue pages of your telephone book.) Florida Extension offices are listed online by UF/IFAS at http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu or http://SolutionsForYourLife.com/map.

• WIC nutritionist at your county Health Department (also in the blue pages of your telephone book).

For referral to a registered dietitian (RD) in your area you can call the Florida Dietetic Association at (850)386-8850 or check the yellow pages of your phone book.

Recommended Web Sites

• Fruits and Veggies More Matter, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/

• MyPyramid.gov http://www.mypyramid.gov/

• Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 http://www.health.gov/DietaryGuidelines/

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, Dean.

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