Include fruit in your daily diet

Fruits are a good source of vitamins, minerals, fibre, and phytonutrients (plant compounds which protect against cancer) and help to promote good health and prevent disease. Local and international dietary guidelines recommend that you eat moderate amounts of fruit every day.

Turn back time with nature’s dessert

Did you know that fruits (and vegetables) help to slow down the ageing process and prevent cancer? Antioxidants in fruits and vegetables help to neutralise the free radicals we get exposed on a daily basis through environmental factors such as smoking or pollution. If not neutralised, these free radicals damage ours cells. Antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables include beta-carotene (found in yellow or orange fruits and vegetables), lycopene (found in tomatoes), and vitamin C. Fruits are also naturally low in fat, sodium, and kilojoules, but high in other vitamins and minerals, as well as fibre.

How much fruit is enough?

In order to prevent lifestyle disorders and vitamin and mineral deficiencies, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends eating at least 400 grams of a variety of vegetables and whole fruits each day. Eating much more veggies is fine, but remember, while a peach is definitely healthier than a chocolate brownie, fruits still contain natural sugars, and so should be eaten in moderation to maintain a healthy weight:

• 1 cup of fruit per day for children aged 2 to 3 years;
• 1 ½ cups of fruit per day for children aged 4 to 8 years;
• 1 ½ to 2 cups of fruit per day for children and adolescents aged 9 to 18 years and adults.

Why is even 100% fruit juice an unhealthy alternative?

It is not recommended to substitute whole fruits with fruit juice. You’d never eat ten apples or oranges in one sitting, but a bottle of juice contains all the sugar of multiple servings without the fibre to balance it out. This makes even 100% fruit juice energy-dense and relatively nutrient-poor, so rather increase your intake of whole fruits and vegetables by serving them in colourful combinations or including them in salads and cooked foods, or as snacks.

Does it matter if it’s frozen or fresh?

Frozen fruit and vegetables are frozen soon after harvesting to retain a high percentage of their original nutritional value. This means they may even be better for you than fresh produce, depending on how much time has passed between the moments it was harvested from the field to when it finds its way to you. Try to buy local and seasonal fruit and vegetables whenever you can to reduce the travel time to your plate, save you money, and to be kind to the environment.

References

Naude, C.E. 2013. “Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit every day”: a food-based dietary guideline for South Africa. South African journal of clinical nutrition, 26(3):S46-S56.

National Cancer Institute (NIH). 2014. Antioxidants and cancer prevention. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/diet/antioxidants-fact-sheet Date of access: 22 Jun. 2017.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services & U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 8th Edition. http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/ Date of access: 22 Jun. 2017.

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). 2017. All about the fruit group. https://www.choosemyplate.gov/fruit Date of access: 31 May 2017.

World Health Organization (WHO). 2017. Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption to reduce the risk of noncommunicable diseases. http://www.who.int/elena/titles/fruit_vegetables_ncds/en/ Date of access: 22 Jun. 2017.