Using the “Five servings a day” guideline, about one in ten people consume enough fruits and vegetables.
But it gets worse: The recommended five-a-day is an old recommendation that dates back to the 1990s.
Today most experts are recommending 10 servings of fruit and veggies a day. And when we switch to THAT recommendation, only about 1% of the population is consuming adequate amounts!
As the “10 servings a day” guideline has become more widely accepted, changes can be observed in the traditional national campaigns.
New research, new slogans
For example, the Centers for Disease Control and the Produce for Better Health Foundation have teamed up to launch a national campaign with the message, “Fruits & Veggies–More Matters.”
Meanwhile, media outlets and universities in the UK are pushing their own “For a longer life, eat 10 a day” campaign.
These campaigns are reflecting updated research showing that the old 5-a-day simply doesn’t cut it.
A recent study on fruit and vegetable intake was conducted by Imperial College London. The results indicated that an increase to 10-a-day could prevent 7.8 million premature deaths each year.
The conclusions were made by pooling data on 95 separate studies quantifying the eating habits of two million people.
Back in the U.S., if we use government guidelines regarding “servings” we can determine that adults need anywhere from 7 to 13 cups of produce to accomplish a 10-servings-a-day intake.
Note that the “10 to 13 cups” variance is due to differences in raw versus cooked foods, and the different densities of foods. For example, it would take two cups of raw loose spinach to equal a real cup or “serving” per the guidelines.
Fruits & veggies are disease fighters!
If you accomplish the 10-a-day goal, though, there will be tremendous benefits. The long list includes protection against obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer.
There is also evidence that a higher fruit and veggie intake equates to fewer colds and flus, increased energy, and a stronger overall immune system.
Though reaching the 10-a-day goal may sound like an impossible challenge, online resources can help with recipes, calorie counts and antioxidant counts.
Next, be sure to take advantage of new technology that has made it possible to increase the potency of nutritional supplements.
When consuming fruits and vegetables it’s not only the quantity you need to consider, but also the variety you’re consuming.
Fruit & veggie drink mixes can help you consume the WIDE VARIETY of fruits and veggies you need.
You need this because a wide variety of fruits and veggies are necessary to offset different health threats?
For example, the Imperial College London study found that lower risks of cancer were linked to eating green vegetables, yellow vegetables and cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower.
At the same time the study linked lower rates of heart disease and stroke more with eating apples, pears and citrus fruits.
These differences corroborate earlier research on how antioxidants offset free radicals.
It is now known that there are FIVE different kinds of free radicals that attack different parts of the immune system.
This is why a supplemental drink such as Optimal Fruit & Veggie Plus can provide such a powerful boost to your health.
It’s blended with a total of 40 fruits, vegetables and herbs to ensure it contains the antioxidant variety necessary to neutralize all five of the known free radicals.
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Sources: FruitsAndVeggies.org, Imperial College London.