Fruit and vegetables in your daily diet: why they matter for health
Fruit and vegetables are simple, yet they are often an afterthought on the plate. If you eat vegetables, fruit and berries every day, your body gets vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and fewer empty calories.
The effect of nutrition on health has been known for a long time. The Western diet often contains too many refined foods and foods rich in fat and sugar, and too little of what grows in the garden bed, on a tree or on a bush.
Why fruit and vegetables matter for your health
Fruit and vegetables are more than a lettuce leaf next to the roast. They are part of a varied and balanced diet. They add volume, color and flavor to a meal, but usually not much energy. That is exactly why they help lighten a meal without leaving you hungry right away.
This group includes vegetables and potatoes, as well as fruit and berries. People sometimes ask: what is the difference between garden produce and vegetables? Vegetables are one part of garden produce, which is the broader term.
Potatoes have long held an important place on the Estonian table. That is not bad in itself. Boiled potatoes are a more nutritious food than rice or pasta. Still, potatoes should not be the only plant food you eat day after day.
Fruit, vegetables and antioxidants
Fruit, vegetables and berries are natural sources of antioxidants. The best-known antioxidants are vitamins C and E, carotenes, flavonoids, ubiquinones and, among the minerals, selenium.
So what actually happens? Free radicals are highly reactive molecules. The body uses them for normal functioning, but an excess can upset the balance. Then lipids and other cell structures can suffer.
Antioxidants help slow down the chain reactions of free radicals. They work best together, not as a single miracle nutrient. That is why it makes sense to eat fruit and vegetables in different colors rather than rely on just one food.
Beta-carotene is a precursor of vitamin A. In the human body it is converted into vitamin A at a ratio of 6:1. Some dietary fat is also needed for vitamin A to be absorbed. Beta-carotene is abundant in orange, yellow, red and green vegetables.
| FRUIT AND VEGETABLES | BETA-CAROTENE | VITAMIN A |
|---|---|---|
| Carrot | 7600 | 1300 |
| Parsley | 5600 | 940 |
| Dill | 4500 | 750 |
| Red bell pepper | 2900 | 480 |
| Rose hip | 2400 | 400 |
| Tomato | 660 | 120 |
Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is an important water-soluble vitamin and a well-known antioxidant. Estonians get part of their vitamin C requirement from potatoes: in autumn, 100 g of potatoes contains 20…30 mg of vitamin C, but by spring it is only 6…10 mg per 100 g.
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant found in vegetable oils, sprouts, whole-grain products, nuts, avocado and dried apricots. Flavonoids are found especially in vegetables, fruit, berries, tea and wine. Onions are rich in quercetin.
Fruit and vegetables provide dietary fiber and a feeling of fullness
Dietary fiber consists of the polysaccharides and lignin found in plants, which human digestive enzymes cannot break down. Part of it is broken down in the large intestine by the gut microbiota. That sounds dry, but the effect is practical: your digestion works better and you stay full for longer.
Dietary fiber is divided into water-soluble and insoluble. Soluble fibers, such as pectins, beta-glucans and gums, slow the absorption of glucose in the small intestine and may help lower blood cholesterol levels.
Insoluble fibers include hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin. They bind water, add bulk to food and support bowel movement. When food requires chewing, more saliva is also produced, which is good for your teeth and gums.
According to Estonian nutrition recommendations, the recommended daily amount of dietary fiber is 20…30 g. It is not sensible to consume more than 35…40 g a day, especially in the form of wheat bran, because the benefit no longer increases and the absorption of minerals may decrease.
| FRUIT AND VEGETABLES | SOLUBLE | INSOLUBLE |
|---|---|---|
| Apple | 0.7 | 1.1 |
| Orange | 1.3 | 1.1 |
| Banana | 0.8 | 0.8 |
| Strawberries | 0.9 | 1.5 |
| Cabbage | 0.9 | 1.1 |
| Cauliflower | 0.7 | 1.2 |
| Potato | 0.5 | 1.3 |
| Carrot | 0.8 | 1.6 |
How fruit and vegetables actually get onto your plate
Vegetable consumption in Estonia has been moderate: an Estonian eats an average of 63…65 kg of vegetables a year. A large share of this is stored over the winter in a cellar or storehouse, so by spring its nutritional value drops considerably.
If you have a freezer at home, it’s worth leaving a couple of shelves free in autumn for home-grown vegetables. The vitamin content of frozen vegetables declines relatively slowly. In spring, a frozen vegetable mix is often a better choice than tired, long-stored produce.
Estonians eat a little over 100 kg of potatoes a year. Fruit and berries, on the other hand, are eaten in small amounts compared with our northern neighbors, even though they are available year-round these days. In a good apple year, the picture usually improves a little.
| IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES | KG PER CAPITA |
|---|---|
| FINLAND | 80 |
| SWEDEN | 91 |
| LITHUANIA | 48 |
| LATVIA | 37 |
| ESTONIA | 36 |
It’s worth getting children used to eating fruit and vegetables early. If they don’t like cooked carrot, you can try raw carrot or cauliflower. Vegetables that are cooked for too long lose their flavor, and their appearance suffers too.
When cooking, a simple rule helps: as little as possible and as much as necessary. If it suits the dish, use the cooking water too, because some of the vitamins and minerals end up in it. And if you feel like something sweet, an apple or a banana within reach can replace the candy.
What fruit and vegetables don’t replace
Plant foods should make up the bulk of your daily diet, but a strict vegetarian diet doesn’t always provide all the necessary nutrients. The protein content of fruit and vegetables is mostly low, and some essential amino acids may be lacking.
For this reason, it makes sense for many people to include a moderate amount of animal protein in their diet: milk, meat, egg and fish protein. The same goes for calcium. Osteoporosis, or thinning of the bones, is linked to calcium deficiency, and the body absorbs calcium from fruit and vegetables relatively poorly.
Safety can’t be overlooked either. Fruit and vegetables may be contaminated with pesticides and heavy metals. It’s worth choosing domestic fruit and vegetables, since fewer pesticides are used here, but the produce still needs to be washed thoroughly before eating.
Greenhouse-grown vegetables may contain varying amounts of nitrates. These can form nitrites, which react with amines to produce carcinogenic nitrosamines. This risk is not considered great, however, because nitrate levels are monitored and vitamin C inhibits the formation of nitrosamines.
Potatoes may contain the glycoalkaloids alpha-solanine and alpha-chaconine. Early potatoes contain more of them than winter potatoes. If potato tubers are left exposed to light and turn greenish, it’s not advisable to eat them.
Fruit and vegetables are low in energy
In terms of energy, fruit and vegetables are mostly light. That makes them a good companion both at an ordinary lunch table and when the goal is to keep your body weight under control without fuss.
| FRUIT AND VEGETABLES | kcal/100g | kJ/100g |
|---|---|---|
| Boiled potato | 77 | 322 |
| Boiled cauliflower | 30 | 127 |
| White cabbage | 28 | 118 |
| Cucumber | 14 | 58 |
| Tomato | 20 | 83 |
| Apple | 44 | 185 |
| Pear | 48 | 202 |
| Banana, peeled | 90 | 375 |
| Orange, peeled | 51 | 212 |
| Strawberries | 46 | 192 |
FAQ
Are garden produce and vegetables the same thing?
Not quite. Vegetables are part of garden produce. Garden produce more broadly includes vegetables, potatoes, fruit and berries.
Are frozen fruit and vegetables a good choice?
Yes, especially in spring and winter. The vitamin content of frozen vegetables declines slowly, and it can be better than that of fresh produce that has been stored for a long time.
Can fruit and vegetables replace all other food?
No. Fruit and vegetables are essential, but they don’t always cover your needs for protein, essential amino acids and well-absorbed calcium.
Author: Marek Morozov
PS Come and train! ArtGym
