How many vegetables and fruits you need to eat daily to be healthy

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Scientists have figured out how many servings of fruits and vegetables we should eat in order to prolong our life, and in what form it is better to use them.

It used to be thought that a person needs five, seven, or even ten servings (80 g for one serving) daily. But in a new study, Fruit, vegetable, and legume intake, and cardiovascular disease and deaths in 18 countries (PURE): a prospective cohort study. it turned out that 3-4 servings of fruits, vegetables and legumes are enough for us a day.

Scientists analyzed data on nutrition and health of more than 135,000 people from around the world, which were followed for 7 years. The amount of fruits, vegetables and legumes they ate was compared with the death rate. The scientists took into account factors such as age, gender, initial health status, physical activity, and consumption of meat and grains.

The mortality rate was 22% lower among those who ate 3-4 combined servings daily than those who ate less than one serving of vegetables and fruits per day.

In this study, scientists counted 375 g for three servings - slightly more than in previous guidelines, according to which almost the same (400 g) is the weight of five servings. But it is not at all necessary to calculate grams, you can measure portions in glasses.

Depending on age and gender, it is recommended to eat 1, 5–2 cups of fruits and 2–2, 5 cups of vegetables daily.

The study also established an interesting fact. Consuming more than four servings a day does not significantly affect life expectancy. In other words, eating 800 g of vegetables and fruits will bring slightly more benefits than 400 g.

In addition, scientists have found that raw vegetables are much more likely to reduce the risk of premature death than cooked ones.

If you want to stay healthy, energetic and creative longer, have good sleep and be in a good mood, be sure to add fruits and vegetables to your daily diet. This will help prevent many diseases, including cancer.