EAT WELL: Every reason to eat fruit and vegetables

November 22, 2013

WITH many of our main meals now being eaten out and on the go, many people are skimping on their fair share of fruit and vegetable.

It was recently highlighted that almost 93 per cent of Malaysians aren’t meeting the recommended three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Malaysians 2010.

A male client told me that he only eats fruit when his wife peels it for him. When I asked him how often that happens, he answered: “Once in a blue moon!”

The truth is, fruit and vegetables are highly nutritious. There’s substantial nutrition research and evidence to show that a diet that is rich in plant-based foods such as fruit and vegetables have a positive impact on health conditions that lower our quality of wellbeing. Here are but a few of them that hopefully get you to feature more fruit and vegetables in your daily food choices.

HYPERTENSION

Hypertension is a condition where the pressure of the blood in the body is high. Men and women are both susceptible to hypertension. This puts a strain on the heart and valves as it tries to deal with the increase pressure from within. Hypertension is one of the co-morbidity risk factors for a heart attack and stroke. You are literally a walking timebomb if you do not do something about it.

The American Heart Association recommends the DASH Diet, which stands for “Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension” and is a natural way to lower hypertension by focusing on, including more wholesome foods such as fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, and moderate amounts of lean protein and low fat dairy.

If you don’t have hypertension, the DASH Diet can help you to prevent it. But if you already have hypertension, the diet is mutually complimentary to your medication that you are taking to control the condition. In fact, they recommend four servings each respectively of fruit and vegetables per day for a person who eats 1,800-2,200 calories to see positive results in the reduction of hypertension.

The DASH Diet is supported by evidence that shows that by following sensible eating choices of the things mentioned earlier, you can reduce your elevated blood pressure. Fruit and vegetables contain good amounts of nutrients such as potassium that help to regulate and balance out the sodium content in blood — hence stabilising the high blood pressure more effectively.

Seven to nine servings of fruit and vegetables can be quite daunting for a majority of people, especially if they can barely consume two to three servings per day. This is where blending or juicing can help complement your efforts to include more fruit and vegetables in your diet. See your dietitian to help you plan out a practical meal plan to meet this goal.

OBESITY

Not many people think of obesity as a disease, when in fact it is. Because of that, they don’t foresee it as having a direct impact on their health. Obesity is in fact one of the leading risk factors of many health issues such as infertility, non-insulin dependant diabetes, hypertension, joint pains, heart disease and cancers.

The global population is becoming a fat, not fit group. The World Heart Federation places obesity as the fifth leading risks for death around the world.

Our children are not spared as obesity starts at a young age. Statistics show that there is a strong likelihood that an obese child can grow up to be an obese adult if sufficient measures in nutrition choices are not taken on time.

The best remedy in combating obesity is the road that is tried and true, which is a sensible low fat, high-fibre balanced diet and a consistent regular physical activity.

Fad diets may seem attractive in the beginning but they are not long-term, sustainable solutions. Fruit and vegetables are good food choices as they are naturally low in calories and fat as well as contribute to a substantial amount of fibre in the diet. By replacing high calorie foods with lower calorie produce can help you to feel full without eating too much.

EYE DISEASE

Eye disease is the leading cause of visual disability in the elderly. This happens when the proteins in the lens of the eye are damaged, causing an opaque coating that impairs vision.

This causes blurriness, difficulty to see at night and sometimes even double vision. Cataract can be corrected by changing the lens via surgery or through laser treatment.

Age-related macular degeneration affects almost 10 million Americans ages 60 and older. The macula is in the centre of the retina, located at the back of the eyeball. A healthy macula is needed for visual acuity, especially to see fine details of an image.

AMD occurs when the cells of the macula layer is damaged, making sharpness of vision reduced. A person with macula degeneration may find it hard to make out fine details. There is no cure for AMD.

Researchers have discovered the link between eye disease and certain key nutrients, namely Vitamin C, E carotenoids, beta carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, omega-3 fatty acids, folic acid, Vitamin B6 and B12. A majority of these nutrients are abundant in fruit, vegetables, whole grains and lean meats.

CANCER

Cancer does not discriminate. It is a disturbing trend to see that cancer is being diagnosed in younger adults now, compared to previous years when the risk of cancer was from age 60 and above.

Besides heart disease, cancer is also a major killer of Malaysian adults. Research on the diet to prevent cancer points to a regular consumption of fruit, vegetables and whole grains.

These plant-based foods contain antioxidants and fibre, which are beneficial in reducing the risk of cancer tumours from developing. In countries where the incidences of cancer is lower than average, this is what the researchers notice in the people’s diet. They are also mindful of eating low fat and less processed foods.

There is evidence to suggest that eating sufficient fruit servings in a day may prevent cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, lung and stomach.

To a lesser degree of evidence, eating fruit may also be beneficial against cancers of the nasopharynx, pancreas, liver and colorectum.

Know your serving size

Vegetables:

If the vegetable is raw such as ulam, salad, raita or kerabu:

1 serving = 1 cupful

If the vegetable is cooked:

1 serving = 1/2 a cupful

Fruit:

If the fruit is fresh:

1 serving = 1 cupful

So, for example, if you are eating grapes, see how many grapes can fit loosely into one cup.

For fruit that can be eaten whole, like an apple or orange, then 1 serving is roughly the size of a tennis ball.