The World Health Organization recommends consuming fruits and vegetables daily to have a healthy diet and prevent the development of diseases.
Often, we hear that consuming vegetables and fruits on a daily basis is recommended and, unintentionally, we often believe that this only helps to balance the diet and avoid the consumption of industrial and ultra-processed groceries.
However, the question is not only limited to this. In fact, the recommendation is made by health, diet and nutrition experts to help people make better choices about what they eat and thus gain and maintain good health and, therefore, a good quality of life.
Advantages of consuming vegetables and fruits
Consuming vegetables and fruits is recommended for several reasons. One of them, because it allows the body to provide all kinds of valuable nutrients for the fulfillment of different processes.
Let’s see other advantages below.
1. They help us satisfy our appetite
Due to their content of dietary fiber, both fruits and vegetables help us to satisfy our appetite when we eat. Additionally, they help us to maintain the feeling of satiety for longer, thus preventing us from eating anything we find between meals.
2. They help us lose weight
Eating vegetables and fruits is the best way to lose weight in a healthy way, without starving and without having to count calories. These foods help us lose weight for the following reasons:
- They control the appetite thanks to its satiating power.
- They are rich in fiber, so they can fight bloating in the abdomen.
- They help us fight fluid retention and constipation.
- They are low in calories.
- They help us avoid cravings to eat sweets and are the best alternative to eat mid-morning or mid-afternoon.
3. Regulate intestinal transit
Thanks to their high content of fiber, vitamins, minerals and enzymes, fruits and vegetables are essential for good intestinal function. By eating them daily, we regulate intestinal function.
If we are going to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables suddenly, we must take this into account: at first we can have constipation for a few days until the intestine assimilates the increase in fiber.
With a little patience and drinking plenty of water throughout the day, we can begin to enjoy a good intestinal transit, without further complication.
4. They nourish all the organs and systems of the body
The different vitamins and minerals present in plant foods help us to strengthen all the cells, organs and systems of the body. And while we generally think of vitamin C, iron, zinc, magnesium, and calcium, there are many other nutrients that we can get from these natural food sources.
Although it is advisable to consume whole fruits, we can also enjoy them in smoothies, smoothies, etc. And the same with vegetables and greens; We can eat them raw, in broths, in purees, and so on.
5. They provide vitality
Consuming vegetables and fruits is also highly recommended because through these we obtain enough energy to carry out daily activities.
It is not the same to eat a muffin and a coffee, to be “active” for a few minutes and then have that need for more, than to have a fruit and not only satisfy the appetite with it, but also to obtain water and nutrients that give us more energy. , for longer.
In other words, being so rich in nutrients, both vegetables and fruits are foods that have the virtue of greatly increasing energy and vitality levels.
- Juices are a great option, since in small quantities they contain several pieces of fruit and vegetables.
- The best way for vegetables to give us energy is to eat them raw.
- We can also prepare delicious and complete salads or germinate some seeds, grains or legumes to multiply the benefits of these foods.
6. They help us obtain antioxidants
Eating vegetables and fruits is the best way to obtain antioxidants, which help us stay healthy and, at the same time, fight aging. These nutrients prevent the damage caused by free radicals, both on the outside and on the inside.
To benefit from antioxidants, we should eat, above all, these raw foods. We can prepare salads, juices or the famous green smoothies. A serving of vegetables should not be missing at every meal.
In short, including vegetables and fruits in a diet in which variety, moderation and balance predominate is very beneficial for health in general and can also help us maintain a healthy weight, according to our body mass index.