The Health Benefits Of Eating 10 Servings Of Fruits & Veggies Per Day (2024)

FAQs

The Health Benefits Of Eating 10 Servings Of Fruits & Veggies Per Day? ›

Most doctors and dietitians agree that fruits and vegetables are the keys to excellent health. And the more, the merrier. Getting 10 servings sounds like a huge task. But anyone consistently eating 10 servings has a reduced risk of diabetes, cancer, and CVD.

Rather than fixating on consuming 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day, we advocate that individuals seeking to improve their health and reduce their risk of chronic diseases focus on filling half their plate with fruits and veggies during each meal and snack.

Fruit and vegetables are a good source of vitamins and minerals, including folate, vitamin C and potassium. They're an excellent source of dietary fibre, which can help to maintain a healthy gut and prevent constipation and other digestion problems. A diet high in fibre can also reduce your risk of bowel cancer.

Why it's important to eat more plants. Research by Imperial College has found that eating up to 800g (that's 10 portions) of fruit and veg could offer substantial protection against disease.

Unless you are following a ketogenic diet or have some sort of intolerance, there really is no reason to limit the amount of fruit you eat. While most studies suggest that the optimal amount is two to five servings of fruit per day, there seems to be no harm in eating more.

Senior dietitian Victoria Taylor says:

It's possible to have too much of anything, even healthy foods like fruits and vegetables.

The healthiest fruits include blueberries, bananas, avocados, and citrus fruits. The healthiest vegetables include kale, spinach, carrots, and sweet potatoes. Fruits and vegetables are healthy because they're rich in vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals.

Good choices include oranges, blueberries, apples, avocados, and bananas, but there are many more to choose from. Fruits are an excellent source of essential vitamins and minerals, and they are high in fiber. Fruits also provide a wide range of health-boosting antioxidants, including flavonoids.

Eating too much of any food – even healthful foods – can lead to weight gain, she says. Other drawbacks of eating fruits and vegetables potentially include: Digestive issues. Eating too many fruits and vegetables can result in gas, bloating, diarrhea and constipation.

A major downside to this is the fact that constant intake of vegetables could drastically reduce a person's weight, there would be a tremendous loss of weight, and other necessary nutrients the body requires would be deficient in such an individual. The body needs all six classes of food to function properly.

Do olives count as 5 a day? ›

Olives. Due to their high salt content, whole olives won't count towards your 5-a-day. The oil they contain is part of the healthy Mediterranean diet, though, and is a good substitute for butter. Just don't treat it as a vegetable.

How many blueberries can you eat a day? Generally, adding a 1/2 to 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries to your daily diet is a healthy and reasonable amount. Even 1/3 cup a day has been associated with a reduced disease risk. This amount provides a substantial dose of antioxidants, vitamins and fiber.

Protect against cancer and other diseases.

That means you can lower your risk of type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease, high blood pressure and cancer by adding them into your diet. Specifically cruciferous veggies, such as broccoli, cabbage, collards and watercress, have been linked to reducing cancer risks.

Eating two apples a day is good for heart health. You can eat any kind of apple, as long as you eat the peel. Apple peels contain many antioxidants that help fight cancer. Researchers suggest that it is best to get antioxidants from fruits and vegetables rather than from dietary supplements.

The worst fruits for people with diabetes include mango, jackfruit, banana, chikku and grapes. These fruits are high in sugar and low in fiber. These are considered the 5 worst fruits for people with diabetes. These fruits contain a lot of sugar.

Eat a variety of fruits: Incorporate a variety of fruits in your daily diet. Fruits such as papaya, berries, oranges, kiwi, guava, and watermelon are rich in vitamins and antioxidants that can help improve your skin's health.

Although five servings of vegetables a day is often used as a benchmark, many nutrition and healthcare experts believe we should be aiming higher, for more like 8-10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.

You can eat too much of anything. But the truth is that it's hard to get too much fruit. In fact, most Americans don't eat enough of it. Adults should eat at least 1 ½ cups of fruit every day.

Everyone should have at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day. An adult portion of fruit or vegetables is 80g.