Disclosure: collaborative post
Five a day has been the standard forever, right? How many times do you remember your parents, your grandparents and friends pushing for you to enlighten your diet with the recommended ‘five-a-day’. In all honesty, we were not convinced, as sure were many others too. Apparently, the new thing today is a seven-a-day instead with the occasional supplement here and there, such as green powders being one of them. Often the best greens powders aren’t the most expensive to supplement into your diet and they are perfect to integrate into everyday meals very, very easily.
This article will expand on the knowledge that surrounds our typical eating culture and so- called scientific recommendations. We have been told through the nutritional and medical grapevine, that those who actually eat more fruit and vegetables will be acquainted with longer life and better health. However, one thing that is certain is that fruits and vegetables all actually have different nutritional value, meaning not all will provide to the body in the same manner and mechanism. For example, some are antioxidants, others anti anti-inflammatory and so on. Each natural food source will benefit the body in different ways so it is not necessarily true to group all fruits and vegetables together via quantity, but rather qualitatively instead.
Upping the actual intake
So, something that has come to attention within social studies is how wealth actually determines the level of nutrients that households actually have access too. Usually more wealthier households will be found with all the range of fruits and vegetables- the variety that is needed to supplement a good quality of life. It is the poverty struck families that miss out on having the perfect variety-that is the problem here. While we know that variety and more of it is key. Some families cannot afford that privilege and limit the capacity of what they give their body for example.
Australia brought to knowledge that the actual perfect formula for fruit and vegetables, is up to seven portions a day, with specific reference to how many fruits and vegetables need to be had and portion quantity. The US has different food regulations and portions entirely. Their recommendation is that you should fill half your plate of fruit with fruit and vegetable. Yet do you see how that can get a bit confusing for anyone really? It is not specific enough. What is a plate portion, who eats fruits and vegetables together? The list goes on.
The question is though, should the UK, the US and other international regions adopt the Aussie way of eating, due to it being very clear and to the point? We think so…
Not all fruit is good
Fruit is known for having such huge sugar content within it naturally that it should be eaten in moderation here. Sugar is sugar at the end of the day and the body will treat it in the same way as any other sugar introduction. First it can jeopardize your sugar levels and insulin response in the body, if you are eating far beyond sustainable means. Therefore, it makes no difference to some people here that healthy can still do bad in the long-term approach. Yet the key thing to take away from this is, moderation.
By eating everything in consideration of other nutritional principles such as energy in and energy out, in addition to counting the fruits within the daily sugar limits, you can achieve balance. Which is everything when it comes to eating food. Sometimes perhaps not stressed enough. Nevertheless, it has been said and is very, very important!
There have been noted occurrences within studies by the World Health Organisation and the British Nutrition Foundation, have found that poverty will affect the quality of fruit eaten. For example, tinned fruit is the normality for low-income groups. This is the best they can do to still afford fruit, with hopes they can have their take on ‘healthy’. The alarming thing about this, however, is that these tinned fruits are actually not good at all and can be worse off in sugar content, then a bar of chocolate! So where is the common ground here? Where is the win? It is something that governments need to look into more and provide further guidance and help around. After all, having the right nutrients is key for supporting the well-being and growth of children.
Cooking procedures can take away the nutritional value of food
Many people are not actually aware of this one but it is true! You could be so focused on your fruit and vegetable integration in your diet, yet if you’re cooking and eating them wrong, you could call it a partly wasted effort!
Did you know that when you steam vegetables and pressure cook them, they will lose up to 34 percent of the vitamins and minerals that they possess? Cooking will never ever preserve the nutritional content of your fruit and vegetables, so that is something you will need to understand completely. You could eat everything you’re supposed to, yet you could still not be hitting the optimum Vit D, Vit C and other essentials that your body needs to be nourished. There is a reason as to why many people still need to take supplements unfortunately, despite how great they think they are eating.
Food is not the only picture
The last thing that is important to mention is that to consider health through food, you need to consider other factors such as physical activity and lifestyle factors. If for example you are eating superiorly healthy, yet smoke 20 cigarettes a day, this is where there may be a problem. Health is a huge picture and you need to consider all factors to determine how great your health is. If you are eating well but do not commit to a single ounce of physical activity, then you can still be at risk of weight gain from not burning off the calories you consume (usually by the exertion of physical activity).
So, we think here, rather than say the optimal figure of what to eat, we need to be blatantly honest and say if you eat this (specifically) and make sure to minimise negative lifestyle choices such as smoking and alcohol, alongside being active, you have found the formula to a good quality life.
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