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Fresh fruits and vegetables are an important part of a balanced diet. They not only enrich our diet structure and enhance satiety, but also provide us with nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, etc., which help prevent the occurrence of chronic diseases.

There are many kinds of fruits and vegetables in nature, and different fruits and vegetables have different effects on health. Which ones contribute more to health? How can we eat them scientifically to maximize their disease prevention value? This article will answer your questions based on the latest research!

As the health of the global population continues to improve, life expectancy has increased significantly. However, chronic diseases have become the world's largest disease burden. In recent years, the incidence of chronic diseases among Chinese residents has increased year by year, and is showing a trend of younger people. More than 190 million elderly people suffer from chronic diseases, and the prevalence of hypertension among residents aged 18 and above is 25%, and the rate of dyslipidemia is 40%.

existPreventing chronic diseasesIn this matter,Ensuring adequate intake of fresh fruits and vegetables in the diet is an important partIn addition, it can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and death, and reduce the risk of lung cancer.

In May 2024, researchers from Harvard University published a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, evaluating 19“High metabolic quality fruits and vegetables”, which further confirms the positive effect of eating more fruits and vegetables in preventing chronic diseases.

The study included data from three large prospective cohort studies with a total of nearly 42,000 people, with a follow-up period of ≤32 years.blood sugar/insulin, inflammatory indicators, endothelial function, adipose factors, lipids, a total of 5 categories) and each type of vegetable/fruit were compared and analyzed.

If participants consumed 1 serving of fruit and vegetables per day, a certain biomarker would improve (Concentration decreases or increases), then 1 point is awarded; then the scores of each food in the 5 biomarker groups are added together.Fruits and vegetables with a total score ≥ 2 points are classified as “high metabolic quality fruits and vegetables”.

The results showed that among the 52 kinds of fruits and vegetables, 19 were identified as "high metabolic quality fruits and vegetables", which are:

This means that in the diet,The more you eat high metabolic quality fruits and vegetables, the lower your risk of chronic diseases, they are all rich in nutrients such as potassium, magnesium, beta-carotene, flavonoids and dietary fiber, and low in sugar, which help reduce the risk of chronic diseases through various protective mechanisms, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory properties, lowering blood pressure, etc.

In addition to "high metabolic quality fruits and vegetables", those with a total score of less than 2 points and failed to produce a positive effect are“Medium and low metabolic quality fruits and vegetables”

Moderate intake of fruits and vegetables with low metabolic quality,ifExcessive intake does not reduce the risk of chronic diseases, and may even increase the risk of diabetes by 13%.

Based on this research, if you want to better prevent the occurrence of chronic diseases, you can choose more "high metabolic quality fruits and vegetables" in your diet.It is not that we cannot eat fruits and vegetables with medium or low metabolic quality. Different foods can provide us with different nutrients. To meet the needs of food diversity, we just need to control the intake.。

Although eating more fruits and vegetables is good for health, some people are busy with work and often ignore the intake of fruits and vegetables, while others just don’t like to eat them. For these two groups of people, insufficient intake of fruits and vegetables is common.

Research has found that insufficient intake of fruits and vegetables is one of the top ten risk factors for death among residents in countries around the world. What harm will it cause to the body if you often eat less fruits and vegetables?

Fruits and vegetables are an important source of dietary fiber in the diet. The soluble dietary fiber can absorb water and swell, increasing the volume of stool and making the stool soft and easy to excrete; insoluble dietary fiber can stimulate the mechanical movement of the gastrointestinal tract and promote the excretion of feces from the body.

If you eat very few fruits and vegetables and do not consume enough dietary fiber, it will be difficult to excrete stool and will increase the risk of constipation.

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The dietary fiber in fruits and vegetables is not only helpful in preventing constipation, but also can enhance satiety and help us control appetite. In addition, the calories in fruits and vegetables are relatively low among many types of food. If you eat less fruits and vegetables in your diet, you will inevitably increase the intake of other types of food, which may lead to high calorie intake and make people gain weight.

Eating more fruits and vegetables is a good way to reduce energy intake and control weight.

Our bodies may have some chronic inflammation at some stage. Vitamin C, vitamin E, phytochemicals and other ingredients in fresh fruits and vegetables have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, which can help us resist chronic inflammation. If you eat less fruits and vegetables on a regular basis, it will increase the occurrence of inflammatory responses in the body.

Eating less fruits and vegetables will increase the body's inflammatory response, and persistent chronic inflammation in the body will increase the risk of cancer. Increasing the intake of fruits and vegetables can reduce the incidence of lung cancer, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and colon cancer, and increasing the intake of cruciferous vegetables can reduce the risk of gastric cancer and breast cancer.

Insufficient intake of fruits and vegetables is the main dietary risk factor for cardiovascular disease in Chinese residents. In addition, low fruit intake is also the number one dietary factor for hemorrhagic and ischemic strokes. Studies have shown that increasing fruit and vegetable intake can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and death.

The Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents recommendsEach person should eat 300~500 grams of vegetables and 200~350 grams of fruit every day.It is best to have vegetables at every meal and eat fruits every day. Make sure that vegetables account for 1/2 of the total food at each meal. If you use a dinner plate, vegetables should account for half of the entire plate.

As for fruit, 200 grams of fruit is roughly equivalent to any of the following: 2 kiwis, 2 oranges, 15 large strawberries, 20 cherries, 8 to 10 prunes, 2 to 3 handfuls of blueberries.

When choosing fruits and vegetables, you can choose more colorful ones.Choose more dark-colored fruits and vegetablesIt is recommended that dark leafy vegetables account for more than half of the weight of vegetables, and dark red, dark yellow, dark green and purple vegetables should be eaten more often. They have nutritional advantages and are rich in nutrients such as β-carotene, anthocyanin, and lycopene.

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forfruit,suggestionEat directly after washing thoroughly. If you can eat it with the skin, don't peel it.

The nutritional value of vegetables is not only limited by factors such as variety, origin, and season, but also has a lot to do with the cooking method.To retain more nutrients in vegetables, first of all, try to choose low-temperature cooking, such as steaming, boiling, stewing, and cold mixing. The cooking time should not be too long.; Secondly, follow the principle of washing before cutting, adding vegetables to soup, stir-frying quickly over high heat, and eating immediately after stir-frying.

In addition, cooking methods also affect the antioxidant capacity of vegetables and their ability to prevent chronic diseases. For example, in the Harvard University study mentioned above, raw carrots scored 3 points, belonging to "high metabolic quality vegetables", while boiled carrots and carrot juice scored -1 points, belonging to low metabolic quality vegetables. Moreover, French fries have worse cardiometabolic characteristics, especially hyperinsulinemia and increased inflammatory potential.

Summarize

Harvard University's new "Fruits and Vegetables Ranking" provides us with a reference guide for choosing fruits and vegetables and eating them healthily. In our daily diet, we should choose fruits and vegetables in moderation and in a variety of ways and cook them properly to maximize their disease prevention value, help us reduce the risk of chronic diseases and maintain health.