Fruit/Vegetable Nutrition Facts

• Fruits/Vegetables Related to

  • Heart Disease

  • Cancer

  • Stroke

  • High Blood Pressure

  • Birth Defects

  • Diabetes

  • Cataracts

  • Diverticulosis

  • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

  • Osteoporosis

According to aboutproduce.com, an affiliate of 5-A-Day for Better Health, “Eating Fruits and Vegetables Does More than Reduce the Risk of Cancer."  Research continues to find strong links between increased fruit and vegetable consumption and the decreased risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Convincing evidence proves that fruit and vegetable consumption plays a positive role in the reduced incidence of cataracts, diverticulosis, high blood pressure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, bronchitis, and osteoporosis. 

Eating 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily will reduce health risks substantially. Strategies to reach the goal of 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day include having fruits and vegetables at every meal and choosing fruits and vegetables for snacks.

Strategies:

• Eat 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

• Eat at least one high-fiber selection a day.

• Eat cruciferous (cabbage family) vegetables several times a week.

• Enjoy the most colorful fruits and vegetables often.

• Eat at least one dark green vegetable daily.

Heart Disease
Coronary heart disease is the major cause of death in the United States, and is the most common and most serious form of cardiovascular disease. Current evidence suggests a strong protective role for fruits and vegetables on coronary heart disease. Risk reduction for coronary heart disease is estimated to be 20-40 percent.

Cancer
Cancer is the second leading cause of death with 1.3 million new cases diagnosed each year. Today, 563,000 Americans, or 1 in 4 patients who get cancer, are expected to die of the disease. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables, combined with regular exercise, can reduce cancer incidence by 30-40 percent. This translates globally to approximately 3-4 million cases of cancer per year that could be prevented by healthy eating and associated lifestyle changes.

Stroke
Stroke is the third leading cause of death and kills about 160,000 of the 500,000 Americans who experience one each year. The risk reduction for high fruit and vegetable intake on stroke may be up to 25 percent. Fruits and vegetables help control high blood pressure and reduce the risk for blood clotting.

High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is one of the nation's most common health problems. One-quarter of adults - approximately 43 million people - suffer from high blood pressure. Diets rich in fruits and vegetables (8-10 servings per day) have been shown to reduce blood pressure both in individuals with and without high blood pressure.

Birth Defects
Neural tube birth defects occur when the neural tube - which eventually becomes the spinal tube - fails to close about three to four weeks after an egg is fertilized. Scientific experts now estimate that half of all neural tube defects could be prevented if women were to consume the recommended intake of folic acid shortly before they conceive. Eating fruits and vegetables rich in folic acid, along with fortified grain products, can play a vital role in meeting folic acid recommendations to prevent neural tube defects.

Diabetes
Fruits and vegetables may keep blood sugar down and control diabetes. There appears to be a protective effect of soluble fiber on cholesterol levels in individuals with diabetes. Fruits and vegetables are some of the best sources of soluble fiber.

Cataracts
Cataracts are one of the world's major causes of blindness. Occurrence in the U.S. increases from 5 percent at age 65 to 40 percent for persons 75 years and older. In the U.S., age-related cataracts cost $5 billion/year, which is the largest single item in Medicare expenditures. More than half of the cataract extractions and associated costs could be eliminated if cataracts were delayed by ten years. Researchers have found a significant five-fold reduction in relative risk for cataracts among consumers of more than 1.5 daily servings of fruits, vegetables, or both fruits and vegetables.

Diverticulosis
Diverticulosis has been tagged the "byproduct of our refined eating habits." Approximately one-third of Americans age 50 suffers from diverticulosis. More than two-thirds of Americans age 80 suffer from diverticulosis. High-fiber diets are known to provide the best defense against the development of diverticulosis. Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are the best sources of fiber in the diet.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is the fourth leading cause of death, affecting 10-20 percent of adults. Common examples are asthma and bronchitis, each of which affects approximately 15 million people in the U.S., or about 5 percent of the population. Research suggests that a high intake of fruits and vegetables enhances ventilatory function, thereby reducing the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Osteoporosis
A recent study by Tufts University supports the hypothesis that alkaline-producing dietary components, specifically potassium, magnesium, fruits, and vegetables contribute to maintenance of bone mineral density.

FACTS:

• 30% and as many as 70% of all cancer deaths are diet related. Surgeon General's Report on Nutrition and Health (1988)
• People who eat 5⁺ servings of fruits and vegetables each day have half the risk of developing cancer as those who only eat one or two servings per day.
• Only 1 in 4 Americans (24%) eats 5 or more servings of fruits/vegetables per day. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1998 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Data
• Americans are still not eating the minimum number of servings of fruits and vegetables each day for better health (4.4 servings versus the goal of 5 servings), and that children fall short of adults by one full serving (3.4. servings) per day. 
  U.S. Department of Agriculture Continuing Surveys of Food Intakes by Individuals, 1997
• The average consumer suffers from an annual fruit and vegetable deficit ranging from a low of 219 servings to a high of 1,679 servings. Foundation research by MRCA Information Services: America's Daily Fruit and Vegetable Deficit
• Nearly $250 billion are spent each year on health-care costs due to diet-related diseases - diets that are too high in fat and too low in fruits and vegetables.
• Fruits and vegetables are important not only in reducing the risk of developing certain types of cancer, but also in reducing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, obesity, and birth defects.
• Diets, together with maintenance of physical activity and appropriate body mass, can in tie reduce cancer incidence by 30-40%! This translates, globally, to approximately 3-4 million cases of cancer per year that could be prevented by healthy eating and associated lifestyle changes. 
• In the United States, age-related cataracts cost $5 billion/year, which is the largest single item in Medicare expenditures. It is estimated that over half of cataract extractions and associated costs would be eliminated if cataracts could be delayed ten years. Investigators have found a significant five-fold reduction in relative risk of cataracts among consumers of more than 1.5 daily servings of fruit, vegetables or both fruit and vegetables.
• According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, spending by state and federal governments per person per year for disease treatment is more than 1,000 times greater ($1,390 vs. $1.21) than preventive measures like proper diet and exercise.
  

"Choose a variety of fruits and vegetables daily" is one of the 10 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. These guidelines form the cornerstone of federal nutrition policy in the U.S. and establish the science-based guidance on what Americans should eat to stay healthy. The guidelines affect the National School Lunch Program and nutrition education programs, particularly the Food Guide Pyramid.

Many of the nation's health leaders are declaring obesity an epidemic. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Healthy People 2010 Objectives report, 58 percent of Americans aged 20 and older are overweight or obese. Furthermore, 23 percent of the population are considered obese. Particularly with children, 11 percent of children and adolescents are overweight or obese, which is twice the amount compared to a decade ago. The overall goal for all age groups is to get a greater percentage of the population to live at a healthy weight. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help achieve a healthy weight. The Healthy People 2010 Objectives recommend 5 A Day as a strategy to stay healthy.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimated that healthier diets could prevent at least $71 billion per year in medical costs, lost productivity, and lost lives. That figure represents the USDA's entire annual budget!