Add Fruits and Veggies to Your Diet
Fresh, canned and frozen fruits are rich in fibre, vitamin C and folate, so enjoy these daily. Fruit juice and dried fruit in small amounts can also contribute to your fruit serves. Aim for at least 2 serves daily.
One serve of fruit equals:
* 1 medium piece such as apple, orange or banana, or 2 small fruits such as apricot or kiwi fruit
* 1 cup of diced or canned fruit
* 4 pieces of dried fruit or 1 1/2 tablespoons of sultanas
* 1/2 a glass of juice (125ml)
Add Fruits and Veggies to Your Diet
Keep fruit on hand for snacks
Eating lots of fruits and vegetables can help reduce your cancer risk. That’s one reason the American Cancer Society recommends eating at least 5 servings of these foods every day. To encourage Americans to move closer to that goal, the Produce for Better Health Foundation and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have launched a new public health initiative: Fruits and Veggies — More Matters.™
How do Superfoods Help?
Today, our bodies are exposed to more free radicals than ever before. This is due to pollution levels, our quality of diet, and the way our food is cultivated and processed. The body’s own production of antioxidants is not enough to neutralise all the free radicals we are faced with on a daily basis.
All types of fruit and vegetables contain plant chemicals or phytochemicals that we know as antioxidants, which boost the number of cancer-fighting molecules in our bodies. Certain foods contain more antioxidants than others. These foods are known as superfoods.
Variety
Though the diet set out below recommends specific examples, it is essentially just a guide or template for which you should build your diet. Try to ensure a wide variety of foods, and do not eat the exact same foods every day. Ensuring a variety will help maximize your chances of obtaining the greatest range of beneficial nutrients and foodstuffs, but reduce boredom and monotony.
Try to include servings from most food groups in each meal, placing the most emphasis on wholegrains, fruits and vegetables. Remember that this diet is purely an example of a healthy diet - ultimately you should learn to be able to choose foods that you like which still contribute to a healthy overall diet. Expecting to be able to follow strict dietary prescription long term is unrealistic.
