Fresh fruits and vegetables are an important part of a balanced diet, which not only enriches our diet, enhances satiety, but also provides us with vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and other nutrients to help prevent the occurrence of chronic diseases.
There are many types of fruits and vegetables in nature, and different fruits and vegetables have different effects on health. How to eat scientifically to maximize its disease prevention value? This article will combine the latest research to answer for you!
New study: These 19 fruits and vegetables
It can reduce the risk of chronic diseases
Life expectancy has increased significantly as the health of the global population continues to improve. However, chronic diseases have become the largest disease burden in the world, and in recent years, the incidence of chronic diseases in mainland residents has increased year by year, and it is showing a trend of younger people, with more than 190 million elderly people suffering from chronic diseases, and the prevalence of hypertension and dyslipidemia among residents aged 18 and above has reached 25%, and the rate of dyslipidemia has reached 40%.
Adequate intake of fresh fruits and vegetables in the diet is an important part of preventing chronic diseases, as well as reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and death, as well as reducing the risk of lung cancer.
In May 2024, researchers from Harvard University published a study in the journal Clinical Nutrition of United States, rating 19 "high-metabolic quality fruits and vegetables", further confirming the positive effect of eating more fruits and vegetables on the prevention of chronic diseases.
The study included data from three large prospective cohort studies with a total of nearly 42,000 people ≤ follow-up of 32 years. The association between 14 biomarkers (blood glucose/insulin, inflammatory markers, endothelial function, adiptokines, lipids) and each vegetable/fruit was compared and analyzed.
A point of 1 was awarded if a participant's intake of 1 serving of fruit and vegetables per day resulted in an improvement (decreased or increased concentration) in a certain type of biomarker; Fruits and vegetables with a total score of ≥ 2 for each food were then added up to the 5 biomarker groups.
The results showed that 19 of the 52 fruits and vegetables were identified as "high metabolic quality fruits", which were:
Group 5: Apple/Pear
4 groups: lettuce, raw spinach, alfalfa sprouts, eggplant/zucchini, grapes/raisins, broccoli, celery, kale, green peppers/red peppers
3 groups: raw carrots, cauliflower, lettuce or leaf lettuce
2 groups: blueberries, grapefruit, oranges, prunes, mushrooms, bananas
This means that the higher the intake of "high metabolic quality fruits and vegetables" in the diet, the lower the risk of chronic disease, which is rich in nutrients such as potassium, magnesium, β-carotene, flavonoids and dietary fiber, and low in sugar, which helps reduce the risk of chronic disease through various protective mechanisms, including antioxidant properties, anti-inflammatory properties, lowering blood pressure, etc.
In addition to "high metabolic quality fruits and vegetables", those with an overall score of less than 2 points that did not have a positive impact were "low to medium metabolic quality fruits and vegetables"
< 2 groups (fruits and vegetables of low to medium metabolic quality): avocados, cucumbers, tomatoes, peaches, apricots, plums, strawberries, fruit juices, beans, yams/sweet potatoes, baked potatoes/mashed potatoes/boiled potatoes, pickles, pumpkins, melons, canned fruits, etc.
Low to medium metabolic quality fruits and vegetables need to be consumed in moderation, and too much intake does not reduce the risk of chronic diseases, and may even increase the risk of diabetes by 13%.
Combined with this study, in order to better prevent the occurrence of chronic diseases, you can choose more "high-metabolic quality fruits and vegetables" in your diet. Different foods can provide us with different nutrients to meet the diversity of food, as long as you control your intake.
What are the dangers of eating less fruits and vegetables?
Although eating more fruits and vegetables is good for health, some people in life are busy with work and often ignore the intake of fruits and vegetables, and some people just don't like to eat them. For both groups, insufficient intake of fruits and vegetables is common.
Studies have found that insufficient intake of vegetables and fruits is one of the top 10 risk factors associated with mortality among residents around the world. If you eat less fruits and vegetables, what harm will it cause to your body?
1
Increased risk of constipation
Fruits and vegetables are an important source of dietary fiber supplementation, and the soluble dietary fiber in dietary fiber can absorb water and swell, increase the volume of stool, and make stool soft and easy to excrete. Insoluble dietary fiber stimulates the mechanical movement of the gastrointestinal tract and promotes the excretion of feces.
If you eat very few fruits and vegetables in your diet and do not have enough dietary fiber, it will not be conducive to stool excretion and will increase the risk of constipation.
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2
Easy to gain weight
The dietary fiber in fruits and vegetables not only helps prevent constipation, but also enhances satiety and helps us control our appetite. In addition, the calories of vegetables and fruits are low among many food types, and if you eat less vegetables and fruits in the dietary structure, it will inevitably increase the intake of other types of foods, which may lead to high calories and easy to gain weight.
Eating more fruits and vegetables is a good way to reduce energy intake and control weight.
3
Increases the body's inflammatory response
Vitamin C, vitamin E, phytochemicals and other components in fresh fruits and vegetables all have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects to help us fight chronic inflammation. If you eat less fruits and vegetables, it will increase the occurrence of inflammation in the body.
4
Increased risk of cancer
Eating less fruits and vegetables increases the body's inflammatory response, and the body's ongoing chronic inflammation increases the risk of cancer. Increasing the intake of vegetables and fruits can reduce the incidence of lung cancer, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and colon cancer, and increasing the intake of cruciferous vegetables can reduce the risk of gastric cancer and breast cancer.
5
Increased risk of cardiovascular disease
Insufficient intake of fruits and vegetables is the main dietary risk factor for cardiovascular diseases among mainland residents. In addition, low fruit intake is also the number one dietary factor for hemorrhagic stroke and ischemic stroke. Studies have shown that increasing fruit and vegetable intake can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality.
Eat fruits and vegetables like this
Maximize the value of disease prevention
1
Eat enough of the recommended amount
The "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents" recommends that each person should eat enough 300~500 grams of vegetables and 200~350 grams of fruits per day. It is best to have vegetables in your meals and eat fruits every day. Make sure that the vegetables are 1/2 the weight of the whole meal at each meal, and if you use a plate, the vegetables should take up half of the whole plate.
As for fruits, 200 grams of fruit is roughly equivalent to any of the following: 2 kiwis, 2 oranges, 15 large strawberries, 20 cherries, 8~10 prunes, 2~3 handfuls of blueberries.
2
The colors are miscellaneous
In the choice of vegetables and fruits, you can be "lustful", the color is mixed, and more dark vegetables and fruits are chosen. It is recommended that dark leafy vegetables account for more than half of the weight of vegetables, and dark red, dark yellow, dark green and purple vegetables should be eaten more often, they have nutritional advantages, rich in β-carotene, anthocyanins, lycopene and other nutrients.
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3
Pay attention to the way you cook
For fruits, it is recommended to wash them thoroughly and eat them directly, and do not peel them if they can be eaten with the skin.
For vegetables, their nutrition is not only limited by variety, origin, season and other factors, but also has a lot to do with the way they are cooked. In order to retain more nutrients of vegetables, first of all, try to choose low-temperature cooking, such as steaming, boiling, stewing, cold dressing, and the cooking time should not be too long; Secondly, we should follow the principles of washing first and then cutting, opening the soup and serving the vegetables, stir-frying quickly, and stir-frying and eating ready.
For example, in the Harvard University study mentioned above, raw carrots scored 3 points for "high metabolic quality vegetables", while boiled carrots and carrot juice scored -1 points for low metabolic quality vegetables. In addition, french fries have worse cardiometabolic profiles, particularly hyperinsulinemia and increased inflammatory potential.
summary
Harvard University's new "Fruit & Vegetable Rankings" provide us with a reference guide to choosing fruits and vegetables and eating them healthily. In our daily diet, we should choose fruits and vegetables in moderation and variety and cook them reasonably, so that fruits and vegetables can maximize their disease prevention value, help us reduce the risk of chronic diseases and maintain health.