Most people understand the significance of eating fruits and vegetables after they grow up. I’m one of those lucky folks who made green veggies and juicy fruits their pals during childhood. The result is pretty visible as I feel healthier, fitter and younger than most people of my age today. It makes me eligible to share my helpful advice on eating fruits and vegetables;)
- Parents play an important role in inculcating good eating habits
Parents have a big role to play when it comes to children’s eating habits. When I was young, my parents had made it a point to have fresh fruits and vegetables together as a family. They used to obtain fresh stock of vegetables and fruits everyday and motivated everyone in the family to have his share.
When children notice their parents relishing a particular food, they would also show interest in having the same food.
- Choice of Fruits and Vegetables does matter
My experience says that all fruits and vegetables are good because of their nutrients but some of them are better than others. Green, leafy vegetables have an edge over potatoes and eggplants. Juicy, fresh fruits are better than some but try to include a variety of colourful fruits and vegetables in your diet. It is highly recommended.
- Believe in “You’re What you Eat” – It makes a difference
There’s an old saying,” You are what you eat!” It means that one should eat nutritious food to lead a healthy life. You may have noticed that food is directly related to our fitness. Have a lot of greens to look and feel great.
Fun fact: The originator of ‘You are what you eat’ was Anthelme Brillat-Savarin. His version was ‘Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are’.
• How you have your food does matter
How you eat your food does make a difference. Say, a person eats fruits and vegetables regularly but falls sick every other day. Go into details and you’ll find that he buys fruits and vegetables for fifteen days and stores them in the refrigerator. Stale food does more harm than good. Make it clear in your mind that the fruits and vegetables you consume should be fresh.
Meet my favourite Fruit and Vegetable
Apple has been my favourite fruit since childhood. I used to love the crunchy, juicy texture of red apples. Today I know that Apple is one of the healthiest fruits available to us. The benefits and nutritional facts of apples prove what I said.
One medium-sized apple (182 gms) provides:
* Calories: 95
* Carbohydrates: 25 grams
* Protein: 0.5 gms
* Fiber: 4 grams
* Vitamin C: 14% of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI)
* Potassium: 6% of the RDI
* Vitamin K: 5% of the RDI
* Manganese, Copper, and Vitamins A, E, B1, B2, and B6: 2–4% of the RDI
Apples are rich in Vitamin C, Fiber and antioxidants. They give a feeling of fullness while lowering blood sugar levels. Vitamin C and Potassium in apples keep the heart healthy and check weight gain.
The saying,” An apple a day keeps the doctor away” is there for a reason:)
According to a research, “Apples account for 18.9% of fruit intake among people ages 2 to 19 in the United States.” Older people prefer fruit juices and I feel that the trend is not healthy.
Women are more likely to eat fruits like apples than men who prefer meat and poultry products.
Spinach is my favourite vegetable. I don’t remember if Popeye had a hand in developing the taste but I never said ‘no’ to spinach. The benefits of the leafy vegetable are plenty:
100 gms of spinach contains:
- Protein: 2.9 grams
- Carbohydrates: 3.6 grams
- Sugar: 0.4 gram
- Fiber: 2.2 grams
- Fat: 0.4 grams
- Calories: 23
- Water: 91%
* Spinach is rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Folic acid, Iron and Calcium. Imagine these humble leaves give us a whole lot of multivitamins and minerals. Forget the dietary supplements and stick to taking your greens in routine.
Do you know that Beko HarvestFresh™ fridge freezers preserve Vitamins A and C, two of the most important vitamins for good health, for an additional 5 days. The HarvestFresh™ lights in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator act like sunlight, blue in the morning, green around noon and red during dusk. I’m sure the HarvestFresh™ refrigerator can save freshness of fruits and vegetables for long, helping us with a healthier lifestyle.
According to a report, per capita spinach intake is maximum among Asians, highest among women aged 40 and above. The teenage girls eat minimum spinach and this is worrisome.
I hope you have 3-4 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. It is the fundamental concept for healthy living and the basis of adding more years to your life.
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