Here’s how fruits and veggies can help you

By Dave Warner

Eating right may help you ward off a whole range of chronic diseases. 

That’s because fruits and veggies contain vitamins and minerals and provide fiber that may reduce the risk of stroke, heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.   

There is some evidence that eating red fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes and red apples, may help reduce the risk of prostate cancer, for instance. 

Moreover, eating them can help you maintain a healthy weight because of that fiber, and the fact that they contain lots of water too. 

So how much is enough? It depends on you, your age, your gender, and how much exercise you get. 

Here are some examples: a 40-year-old male who gets 30-60 minutes of exercise a day should eat 2 cups of fruit and 3.5 cups of vegetables each day. A 40-year-old woman who gets the same amount of exercise should eat 2 cups of fruit and 2.5 cups of vegetables.

For men and women age 60, who get less than 30 minutes of exercise, the numbers shift a bit. For men, the recommendation is for 2 cups of fruit, and 3 cups of vegetables. For women, it’s 1.5 cups of fruit, and 2 cups of vegetables.

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Sources:

•   http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/benefits/index.html
•   http://www2c.cdc.gov/podcasts/media/pdf/mmwr5_090910_transcript.pdf
•   http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/foods/fn595w.htm#intro