If you read our 5_a_day infosheet you'd have heard about optimum health balance coming when the body is slightly alkaline. Well you can eat yourself healthy, and the foods that keep you alkaline are fruits and vegetables.

Doctors recommend that we eat 5 to 6 servings of these a day, and doing so can be a challenge, but it's a challenge you can rise to!

And not only will your general health and vitality improve, it's also a great preventative medicine! Studies by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggest that the nutritional goodness of fruits and vegetables, coupled with a diet that is low in fat and contains plenty of fibre through breads and cereals, may decrease the risk of heart disease and cancer.

Preparation for good health

Surveys suggest typical consumption of fruits and vegetables is only about three servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Forty-two percent eat less than two servings a day. Compare those figures with the five to nine servings a day recommended as a dietary guideline and you can see that many of us have a way to go.

A good reason for us to eat more fruits and vegetables is their nutritiousness. Most are low in fat and calories, except for avocados and olives which contain fat naturally. Many are excellent sources of the important vitamins A and C and also provide ample fibre.

In addition, many fruits and vegetables, particularly dried beans and peas, are significant sources of folate, a B vitamin that can help reduce the risk of certain serious and common birth defects. This has been known for ages and prevention is natural and enjoyable.

Fruit and vegetables are natural fast foods. Slip some in a lunch box, or pocket and they make wonderful snacks and meal portions. Raisins, grapes, oranges, cherry tomatoes, bananas and others, can be eaten with the minimum of preparation required to ensure a clean product. And, these are the dietary items no-one will tell you have to give up!

• Wash fruits and vegetables with water and scrub with a dish brush when appropriate, for instance before eating apples, cucumbers, potatoes, or other produce in which the outer skin or peeling is consumed.
• Throw away the outer leaves of leafy vegetables, such as lettuce and cabbage.
• Peel and cook when appropriate, although some nutrients and fibre may be lost when produce like potatoes are peeled.

What to Eat

Eating Meat, Fish and Grains while good as part of a balanced diet produces what some doctors call an Acid Ash, and which depletes the body of essential vitamins and minerals. Eating fruits and vegetables replaces these but has to be done on a daily basis. With our fast, hectic lives, you can find it difficult to eat more fruits and vegetables, and maintain 5 to 6 servings a day. So here are some ideas to help you eat healthfully. Your good health is worth it!

Remember that fruits and vegetables are very good buys. They are full of nutrients, contain many of the vitamins and minerals we need more of, for example, vitamins A and C; and they are low in fat and sodium, for example which most of us should eat less of.!

Certain types of fruits and vegetables should be eaten regularly because of their nutritional value. These include those that are good sources of vitamins A and C and fibre.

Also variety is the spice of life. So eat other fruits and vegetables that provide other nutrients, such as folate, potassium, calcium, and iron. With variety you increases the likelihood of getting all the nutritional advantages of fruits and vegetables.

• Choose the fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season. They will be cheaper and they also will be at their flavorsome and nutritional best.
• Check your local grocery for reduced prices on your favourite fruits and vegetables.
• Compare prices of different brands of canned and frozen fruits and vegetables and juices and buy the cheapest that you like.
• Take advantage of supermarket salad bars, which offer ready-to-eat cheap salads made with fruits and vegetables.
• Make use of nutritious canned and frozen fruit, canned and bottled juices, and dried fruits.
• Buy frozen vegetables which you can store for cooking later.
• Store fresh fruits and vegetables bought when cheap, in the refrigerator for use later.
• Keep fruits and vegetables where you see them often. The more often you see them the more likely you may be to eat them.!

These Fruits and Vegetables are high in vitamin A.

apricots, cantaloupe, carrots, leaf lettuce,mango, pumpkin, lettuce, spinach,,sweet, potato, squash.

These Fruits and Vegetables are high in vitamin C.

Apricots, broccoli, brussel, sprouts, cabbage, cantaloupe, cauliflower, peppers, grapefruit,
honeydew, melon, kiwi fruit, mango, orange, orange, juice, pineapple, plums, potato,
spinach, strawberries, peppers, tangerines, tomatoes, watermelon,

These Fruits and Vegetables are a good source of Fibre

apple, banana, blackberries, blueberries, brussel, sprouts, carrots, cherries, cooked,

beans and peas, dates, figs, grapefruit, kiwi fruit, orange, pears, prunes, raspberries,
spinach, strawberries, sweet, potato, cabbage.

FRUITS & VEGGIES help you keep your body alkaline for optimum health.

This general advice is given to show you some of the ways an individual can act to improve/maintain her/his health, but it is NOT to be considered as a subsitute for or to be used in place of consulting a trained medical practitioner. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider.

Or E-mail me at HealthyLives

Home	Site A - Z	Request Info