Commit to a Healthier You

Trying to fuel your body with healthier foods, but not sure where to start? Or how to start? Or when to start? Well, I can tell you when to start... NOW.

I read an article from EatLocalGrown.com written by the creator of 100Daysof RealFood.com, Lisa Leakes. She presents manageable steps or pledges for cutting processed foods from your diet. The link to the story is also at the bottom of the page.

If you feel overwhelmed at times with conflicting information (foods ads, news stories, research, friends' recommendations, this blog, etc.) and not sure how to process all that data, these mini-pledges have simplified the information into manageable changes to answer your "where?" and "how?" questions.

These are all topics that I've hit on in previous posts, so if you've been following along I hope you've already marked off a few of these items.

14 Weeks of “Real Food” Mini-Pledges

• Week 1: Two fruits and/or vegetables per meal – Eat a minimum of two different fruits or vegetables (preferably organic) with every breakfast, lunch, and dinner meal.
• Week 2: “Real” beverages – Beverages will be limited to coffee, tea, water, and milk (only naturally sweetened with a little honey or 100% pure maple syrup). One cup of juice will be allowed throughout the week, and wine (preferably red) will be allowed in moderation (an average of one drink per day).
• Week 3: Meat – All meat consumed this week will be locally raised (within 100-miles of your hometown). Meat consumption will also be limited to 3 – 4 servings this week, and when it is eaten meat will not be presented as the “focal point” of the meal. Instead meat will be treated as a side item or simply used to help flavor a dish.
• Week 4: No fast food or deep-fried foods – No fast food or any foods that have been deep-fried in oil.
• Week 5: Try two new whole foods – Try a minimum of two new whole foods that you’ve never had before.
• Week 6: No low-fat, lite or nonfat food products – Do not eat any food products that are labeled as “low-fat,” “lite,” “light,” “reduced fat,” or “nonfat.”
• Week 7: 100% Whole grain – All grains consumed must be 100% whole-grain.
• Week 8: Stop eating when you feel full – Listen to your internal cues and stop eating when you feel full.
• Week 9: No refined sweeteners – No refined or artificial sweeteners including (but not limited to): white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, sucanat, splenda, stevia, agave, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, brown rice syrup, and cane juice. Foods and beverages can only be sweetened with a moderate amount of honey or maple syrup.
• Week 10: No refined oils – No refined or hydrogenated oils including (but not limited to): vegetable oil, organic vegetable oil, soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil, organic canola oil, margarine, and grape seed oil.
• Week 11: Eat local foods – Eat at least 1 locally grown or raised food at each meal. This includes, but is not limited to: fruits, vegetables, eggs, grains, nuts, meats, and sweeteners like honey.
• Week 12: No sweeteners – Avoid all added sweeteners including, but not limited to: white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, honey, maple syrup, date sugar, maple sugar, sucanat, splenda, stevia, agave, fruit juice concentrate, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, brown rice syrup, and cane juice.
• Week 13: Nothing artificial – Avoid all artificial ingredients including, but not limited to: sweeteners, flavors and colors.
• Week 14: No more than 5-indgredients – Avoid any and all packaged food products that contain more than five ingredients no matter what ingredients

Action Item: Tomorrow is the first day of May, so why not start your first mini-pledge today and get a head start. Print this out, save the page on your computer, put reminds in your task list... just make the pledge to eat foods that fuel your body!

For Further Reading: 14 Steps to Cut Out Processed Foods

Another good read that might help you in your journey is 12 Healthy Eating Lessons We Can Learn from the French. And this website, 100 Days of Real Food, is an excellent resource for other reasons (recipes, motivation to change, etc).

Healthy & Easy Recipes

I breezed through this collection of recipes from Greatist.com — 87 Healthy and Easy Lunch & Dinner Recipes — and some look pretty yummy. With any recipe, use good healthy ingredients. Recipes can go many different ways depending on the ingredient choices you make. Use substitutions where needed: healthier oils, less sugar, replace sour cream with Greek yogurt, etc. And very importantly, eat what you need and not any more. That is sometimes the most difficult part of healthy eating.

This link also includes many lunch recipes. Make yourself a beautiful, nutritious lunch and you'll be less likely to want to skip it for unhealthy fast food or a high-calorie (and more expensive) restaurant meal.

Say NO to Artificial Food Dyes

What do gummy bears, Fruit Loops, Gatorade, M&Ms, brightly colored ice cream and icing, Kraft Mac n Cheese, and Mt Olive Kosher Dill Spears have in common? You guessed it. Artificial food dyes. And this list is a VERY SMALL list compared to how many items you will find when you start looking.

A massive amount of research now shows that artificial dyes are — to put it simply — harmful. Especially in children as "Links are being found to hyperactivity in kids (ADHD), cancer and serious food allergies," states Prevention.com.

I've wanted to post about this before, but there was more research I needed to do. Our family is only a study of one, but we've definitely noticed behavior changes after consuming artificial food dyes. That shouldn't be enough to make you cut if from your diet, but hopefully the research below will help you make an informed decision. As with most topics, there is still a little conflicting research. Thought the United Kingdom thought there was enough research to keep it out of their foods or post a warning on the package. Other European countries have also followed suit.

So yes, I'm on my soap box again because I care about my health and your health and the health of your families. PLEASE read this post, read even some of the links or do an Internet search yourself for "artificial food dyes," check your cabinets, and continue reading labels. If you've stopped drinking sodas or diet sodas, you've gotten rid of any "foods" with high fructose corn syrup and you're cutting out processed foods then you've hopefully cut back on artificial food dyes without knowing it.

To get you started, this blogger has done thorough research and broken down some of the information: from 100 Days of Read Food, read 7 Reasons I Hate Artificial Food Dyes

Excerpt from her research:

Synthetic food dyes have been shown to cause an increase in hyperactivity in children as well as a negative impact on their ability to learn.

Washingtonpost.com:”Artificial food dyes (in combination with a common preservative) could make even children with no known behavioral problems hyperactive and inattentive.”

CSPInet.org: “The science shows that kids’ behavior improves when these artificial colorings are removed from their diets and worsens when they’re added to the their diets.” and “While not all children seem to be sensitive to these chemicals, it’s hard to justify their continued use in foods—especially those foods heavily marketed to young children.”

Mercola.com: “According to scientific studies, these dyes are causing behavioral problems and disrupting children’s attention.”

Read the entire article from 100 Days of Real Food. There are other harmful food dyes in addition to this list. But if you see a color word (ie blue, red, green) then assume you don't want to ingest it. Unless of course it's a blueberry, red pepper or green bean :)

So What Do You Eat Instead?

As with previous posts where I've recommended you cut ingredients from your diet, you do have options! You might have to take a little longer while shopping to read all these labels. And it's a pretty easy guess that if a food or drink is brightly colored then it probably contains artificial food dyes. On a positive note, there are companies that make chewy candy, icing and other items with natural colors so just keep looking. Or skip the sugary sweets and eat yummy dark chocolate. Better yet, fill most of your meals with whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans, lean meats and dairy (depending on your family's eating preferences). Don't forget that we, as consumers, speak with our purchases. If we stop buying the unhealthy, chemical-laden items then companies will have to listen!


Action Item: You guessed it -- check your food and drink items. Even some you'd never expect may contain artificial food dyes. Then ask yourself, "do I want to put these chemicals in my body?"

This might also be an easy way to make yourself toss out the remaining Easter basket candy. Check those labels!

For Further Reading:
American Kids Get Artificial Food Dyes, British Kids Get All-Natural Dyes
Food Dyes
Food Dye and ADHD
Avoid Food Dyes to Reduce Hyperactivity and ADHD
Food Dye and ADHD
Food Coloring Allergies in Kids
Artificial Food Dyes and Kids: Not a Good Mix
CSPI Says Food Dyes Pose Rainbow of Risks
Finding (and Avoiding) Artificial Food Dyes

Portobello Mushroom Burgers

Yesterday, I didn't make the new chickpea burgers. I decided on our tried-and-true portobello burger for dinner.

Just like beef burgers, there are many ways to prepare and many toppings to add to a portobello mushroom burger. I've included the two recipes I use below (here's the one from allrecipes.com that I used last night, the other one is listed at the bottom of the page.)

Ingredients:
4 portobello mushroom caps
1/4 cup balsalmic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
4 (1 oz) slices provolone cheese

Directions:
1. Place the mushroom caps, smooth side up, in a shallow dish. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, basil, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour over the mushrooms. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes or so, turning twice.
2. Preheat grill for medium-high heat.
3. Brush grate with oil. Place mushrooms on the grill, reserving marinade for basting. Grill for 5 to 8 minutes on each side or until tender. Brush with marinade frequently. Top with cheese during the last two minutes of grilling. 

Another thing I didn't do the first time I made these, is scrape off the gills from the underside of the mushroom because they cause the mushrooms to be slimy. I most often bake these in the oven on a rack (over a pan since they are juicy) at about 400 degrees. The time depends on the thickness of the mushrooms. Our was pretty small last night, so it only took about 12 minutes. Ron has also cooked them on the grill which worked really well.

We like our burgers with provolone cheese, avocado and spinach (or lettuce) and served on warm, whole-wheat buns. Our son eats these too. At first, not his favorite, but last night he was adding lettuce and avocado! I didn't say a word, just watched him enjoy the burgers :)


Action Item: Pick up some portobello mushrooms and give these a try! You'll find lots of recipes online, and the ones with reviews offer great ideas and tips to adjust the recipe to your liking.

For Further Reading: Allrecipes.com recipe and FoodNetwork.com recipe

Love Your Mother

From meatlessmonday.com: Tuesday, April 22, is Earth Day, an annual event to honor the sanctity of the little blue planet we call home. If you’re wondering what you can do to participate, there’s an easy, even delicious, way you can do something good for the environment this week, and every week of the year: join the Meatless Monday movement.

Meatless Monday is a grassroots movement organized and promoted by advocates around the world who inspire individuals, schools, restaurants and even entire governments to get involved. Currently, there are home-grown initiatives in 35 countries, pledging to “one day a week, cut out meat” for their health and the health of the planet.

Earth Day turns 44 years old this year, and there are signs our planet is not aging gracefully. Read more from the Meatless Monday website.

While you're there, check out their great recipes, sign up for their newsletter, and check out other campaigns like The Kids Cook Monday!

Tonight I'm thinking about trying the Chickpea Quinoa Burgers. I'll let you know how we rate it!

US VegWeek 2014 — Take the Pledge!

I've been taking a little time away from the blog and enjoying my son's Spring Break, but I'm back! Take a look at this, read through it and consider joining me in the 7-Day VegPledge!

From USVegWeek.com:
Kicking off on Meatless Monday and the day before Earth Day, US VegWeek 2014 (April 21-27) is a weeklong celebration exploring the many benefits of vegetarian eating—for our health, the planet, and animals. This year’s celebration will be bigger and better than ever!

Restaurants are offering specials on delicious vegan fare; events from cooking demonstrations to movie screenings are being held throughout the country; and thousands of people nationwide — including elected officials — are taking the 7-Day VegPledge. After all, with 52 weeks in a year, why not make at least one meat-free?

Natural, Beautiful Easter Eggs

The last few years, we've gone the natural route to create our Easter egg masterpieces. OK, "masterpiece" may be taking it a little far. In our house, with a son not usually into crafts, our eggs all end up brown because he turns the process into some sort of battle where the eggs get dunked in every color before ending up exiled on the carton to dry. BUT, in my mind, my eggs will all look like the ones in this picture!

We've used several of the food items listed in the links below, but this year I was thinking of trying beets (because they stain my hands when I cook them), maybe artichokes (I noticed very green water after steaming artichokes) and red wine.

Here are some great links to get you started and to spark your creativity. Look through all the links because each offers some different info, and you can pick and choose colors and your preferred dyeing process.

From Serious Eats, "A couple of beets, some ground turmeric, and a red cabbage, and I was turning out gorgeous eggs in all three primary colors."

Natural Easter Egg Dyes from About.com Chemistry - "It's fun and easy to use foods and flowers to make your own natural Easter egg dyes."

All-Natural Easter Egg Dye Recipes from Better Homes and Gardens. "Use these all-natural dye recipes made from household ingredients to create Easter eggs in beautifully subdued shades. Leave eggs soaking in the dye in the refrigerator overnight for the richest colors."

How to Dye Easter Eggs Naturally from PBS.org states that "The color difference between dyeing eggs naturally versus the commercial dyes is noticeable.  The different subdued hues of the naturally colored eggs have a beautiful look to them that cannot be replicated by the store bought options."

Get coloring this week and enjoy your beautiful eggs!

All Those Boxes

If you eat, then you probably buy something in a box sometime. I'm hoping too that you all recycle those boxes, but before recycling the cardboard how about using it again?

We often use cereal boxes instead of paper for drawing and writing. This is especially useful while traveling; you don't need a desk or table because the cardboard is sturdy enough for writing.

Other times, we made bookmarks for Valentine's Day, gift tags for presents, and ONE time I even made a magazine holder. I'm not getting all crafty on you right now, because that's not me, BUT I do want to mention how easy it is to use the cardboard for other things before recycling it.

Each time we finish a cardboard food box, I open it and cut it into pieces - usually two big rectangles and one long narrow rectangle from the side of the box. The other parts often rip or have glue on them. And, yes, it takes time and sometimes I even cut my finger on the box (ouch!), but we have a never ending supply of art board, mailing boxes, and material for other projects.


Action Item: Earth Day is April 22. If you start saving recyclables now, you can make a super cook adult- or child-friendly project to celebrate!

For Further Reading: From easy to difficult, the Internet is full of ideas for cereal re-use ideas. Here are some to get you started: 31 Things You Can Make Out of Cereal Boxes

Sweet Talk

I'm talking about sugar again today, but with more ways to help you cut back or make healthier choices. Perhaps you've tried cutting back by:

• saying no to sodas
• refusing to eat or drink anything with high fructose corn syrup
• using honey to sweeten your coffee
• reading labels on everyday items
• opting for healthier snacks, such as fruit

These are all great ideas, but what else can you do as you continue on your journey toward cleaner eating?

Huffington Post listed 10 Essential Rules to Healthy Eating and #8 is Ditch the Whites:

White Flour
The milling process strips the grains of most of their nutrition. The result: "White flour digests in your body rapidly, which makes blood sugar spike," says Foodist author Darya Pion Rose, PhD. (Cue the almost inevitable crash.) "It should be a supplement to your diet, not the main event." Try more-nutritious flours, like almond, coconut, and chickpea. One easy way to start: Substitute white whole wheat flour for 1/3 cup (or more) of the white flour in recipes.

White Sugar
Research suggests that sugar can be addictive. And it's a sneaky ingredient added to processed foods that don't even taste sweet, like bread and pasta sauce. Reach for organic honey or maple syrup instead; they're less refined and offer small amounts of antioxidants. (Still, aim for no more than 24 grams of added sugar per day.) Steer clear of foods with sugar listed among the first three ingredients -- and that includes agave nectar, evaporated cane juice, malt syrup, and anything ending in "-ose." ("There are 1,001 code names!" warns Rose.)

Here's a list of 30 code names for sugar from the Consumerist.

But how and why? 

Here is a great article from OneGreenPlanet to give you a little more info and help you get started. It's short and to the point, so please take a minute to read it. The article starts with this, "Linked to weight problems, joint problems, heart problems, bone problems, brain problems, and immunity problems — too much sugar is not just about cavities anymore."

What's the most sugar you should eat per day?

CBS News reported that "The World Health Organization is dropping its sugar intake recommendations from 10 percent of your daily calorie intake to 5 percent. For an adult of a normal body mass index, that works out to about 6 teaspoons -- or 25 grams -- of sugar per day."

Remember you can always eat less! This is a maximum recommendation.

Keep educating yourself.

We know how popular agave nectar became. I started using it to sweeten my coffee and yogurt and other recipes calling for sweetener. I continued reading about it and found conflicting information, so we stopped using it in January (see related post). A friend shared this article from The Oz Blog, and again it confirms the other not-so-good news about agave nectar.

What can be used to sweeten my foods?

The more I read, the more I'm reminded that we don't need sweet foods! If most of the sweeteners are bad or contributing to health problems, then they shouldn't be part of our diets. Artificial sweeteners can not fuel our bodies. To sweeten foods naturally, honey and maple syrup are the best choices. Yes, you can use very small amounts of sugar or eat desserts and still be healthy, BUT you have to be honest with yourself about how much you are consuming.


Action Item: This may be time consuming (but aren't you worth it?), but count the grams of sugar that you consume just for today. Check packaging or look up the food online with a quick search. Count all day or stop when you get to 25 grams and see how long it took you to get there! Hopefully it wasn't during breakfast.

For Further Reading: Plenty of links on this post today, so I won't add any more :)

Start today!

I have been inspired by several people recently who are making big changes in their lives. Some through exercise. Some through cleaner eating. Then I saw a graphic similar to this posted by a friend on facebook:

It reminded me of friends and family members who are struggling with getting healthy. And, there's changes we can all make that we usually put off until tomorrow or a Monday or until better weather arrives...

My rant today is to encourage you - especially if you are someone who has been resisting change -- to start TODAY!

Take a 7-day or a 30-day healthier-you challenge.

Stop waiting.

And start your changes today.

 

If you choose, for example, to cut high fructose corn syrup out of your diet for 30 days, I'm guaranteeing you that you will feel better and healthier. Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables per day - you'll feel better. Stop consuming so many processed foods TODAY. Eat whole-grains. Take this challenge that I posted in March. Whatever you've been putting off, start the CHANGE today. Right now.

 

Write it down and tape it to your wall, your mirror or your refrigerator. While you're at it, write down these sayings too. Put them where you can see them! Tell your friends that they will soon be seeing a healthier you and that you might need their help!

 

 

Let me know if you're having trouble getting started or deciding what change to make. Or go back and read my very first entry on January 1 (that's a great idea!) I'd love to talk over ideas and help you get started. And did I mention... TODAY?

Super Fruit

You can imagine how this article - Chocolate is a 'super fruit': Rich source of antioxidants - caught my eye! More and more good news about dark chocolate; I even learned that dark chocolate is an iron-rich food (though it shouldn't be any one's main source of iron!)

I decided to do a little research to make sure we all know how to purchase healthy chocolate.

The main points I found are:

• Buy dark chocolate that's at least 70% cacao
• Also try cacao powder or a very simple, pure cocoa powder*
• Consume it in moderation, no more than one ounce per day

Dr. Oz in an article on Oprah.com, Good Chocolate, Bad Chocolate and How to Tell the Difference, states that "Chocolate contains naturally-occurring antioxidants called flavanols and epicatechins (two types of flavonoids). They help keep your blood flowing freely, reduce your blood pressure, and decrease your risk of heart attack and stroke. They also help protect your skin from UV damage from the sun. There's more: Studies have found that adults who eat a little chocolate five times a week have lower BMIs. As if that weren't enough, chocolate has been found to dampen the levels of the stress hormone cortisol."

Self Magazine, How to Pick the Healthiest Dark Chocolate, The health benefits of dark chocolate come from the cocoa present in it, so that generally means that the higher the percentage of cocoa, the "healthier" it is for you.

The study that initially caught my attention was about the benefits of cocoa powder (cacao refers to either the tree, beans or pods of the cacao tree that are raw and unprocessed, while cocoa powder is the processed and refined version of the exact same plant.) Read more - Self magazine had an article about this study: One Reason Why Cocoa is Good for You.

Livestrong.com breaks down dark chocolate's nutritional facts. Dark chocolate is an energy-rich food that provides about 170 calories per ounce. You'll also get varying amounts of sugar and fat from dark chocolate, depending on the amount of sweetener and fat used to make the chocolate. Typically, 1 ounce contains about 12 grams of total fat, 7 grams of saturated fat and 24 grams of sugar, according to the USDA. Because it's such a rich source of calories, fat and sugar, you should eat chocolate in moderation, particularly if you're trying to lose or maintain your weight or have diabetes.

Action Item: Dark chocolate has a much different taste than creamy milk chocolate. Keep trying dark chocolate in small portions and your taste buds and your body will soon thank you!

*For Further Reading: If the talk of cocoa and cacao confuse you too, read this article or this one to try to figure out the differences.

COCOA and CACAO or often used interchangeably but that is incorrect. You'll see that it is used differently even in these articles. From what I've read, go for CACAO because it's typically raw and packed with nutrients. COCOA powder is the processed cacao bean and can have added ingredients, but based on this new study cocoa is showing benefits too.

If you're unsure... READ THE LABELS. For example, I've seen a brand of Special Dark chocolate chips at the store. It is NOT dark chocolate, perhaps that's why they used the term "special." :) Look for cacao or cocoa and very few other ingredients.

Soaking Oat Mix

Photo is from www.twopeasandtheirpod.com
 

This is the name my husband gave his delicious mid-morning snack (blueberry/maple) of overnight oats. Our son also took one bite of his no-cook oatmeal (banana/maple) for breakfast and gave me an enthusiastic "mmm, this is good!"

So, I'd have to say these are a hit in our house, and I truly thought they'd be a big flop. A couple of people had mentioned it to me, and I thought it looked like more work than it was worth. Some times a new idea looks that way until we give it a try. With warmer temps rolling in, I decided I'd take a chance on cold, overnight oats.

The recipe I based our creations on is from 100 Days of Real Food.

Here's the recipe from that website:

• ½ cup rolled oats
• ½ cup milk
• 1 tablespoon plain yogurt
• ½ teaspoon honey
• 1 to 2 tablespoons raisins (depending on how much you like raisins!)
• ⅛ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 to 3 pinches cinnamon

Mix together all ingredients, cover, and refrigerate for a minimum of 5 hours before eating. Alternatively mix in an insulated thermos container (left unrefrigerated) and wait no more than 7 hours before eating.

 

Easy enough, right? I used the ½ cup rolled oats and 1 tablespoon plain yogurt, but then added ½ cup of vanilla almond milk. That way I didn't need to add vanilla. I used maple syrup instead of honey. For one mason jar, I added frozen blueberries. The other I mashed a banana to use. I'm sure I'll also try cinnamon, honey, chia seeds, apples and probably peanut butter! The possibilities are endless.

Action Item: Try some "soaking oats." Try them with different flavors, then when you find a combination you like, make enough for one week. Then grab and go!

For Further Reading: Probably tons of different recipes can be found, but here are several to try from The Yummy Life.

Reduce Your Risk of Death

I had other ideas for today's post, but after reading this research article from Science Daily I definitely think it is worth sharing. It's a long read today, but worth it. The text from the article is on this page just below my comments or you go click the link to read the story and supporting info.

This article makes me say (again)... Eat your vegetables and fruit! Fueling your body with natural foods leaves less room for the chemicals and additives and sodium and sugar that make you unhealthy, sick, give you pains and deplete your energy. If this article doesn't cause you to take a second or third look at your eating habits, then I'm not sure what will. YOU, for the most part, have control over how you feel, how your body functions and how likely you are to end up with heart disease or certain types of cancers. This is also a sad reminder that many people in the US do not even have access to fresh fruit and vegetables, thus leading to poor health and the snowball events that follow. Let's me grateful that most of us can choose healthy foods. Take charge and choose health!

As a reminder, these are results from one study. Add this to your growing knowledge of healthy eating and let it guide you in making good eating choices.

Eating seven or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day reduces your risk of death by 42 percent

Eating seven or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day reduces your risk of death at any point in time by 42% compared to eating less than one portion, reports a new University College London study.

Researchers used the Health Survey for England to study the eating habits of 65,226 people representative of the English population between 2001 and 2013, and found that the more fruit and vegetables they ate, the less likely they were to die at any age. Eating seven or more portions reduces the specific risks of death by cancer and heart disease by 25% and 31% respectively. The research also showed that vegetables have significantly higher health benefits than fruit.

This is the first study to link fruit and vegetable consumption with all-cause, cancer and heart disease deaths in a nationally-representative population, the first to quantify health benefits per-portion, and the first to identify the types of fruit and vegetable with the most benefit.

Compared to eating less than one portion of fruit and vegetables, the risk of death by any cause is reduced by 14% by eating one to three portions, 29% for three to five portions, 36% for five to seven portions and 42% for seven or more. These figures are adjusted for sex, age, cigarette smoking, social class, Body Mass Index, education, physical activity and alcohol intake, and exclude deaths within a year of the food survey.

The study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, found that fresh vegetables had the strongest protective effect, with each daily portion reducing overall risk of death by 16%. Salad contributed to a 13% risk reduction per portion, and each portion of fresh fruit was associated with a smaller but still significant 4% reduction.

"We all know that eating fruit and vegetables is healthy, but the size of the effect is staggering," says Dr Oyinlola Oyebode of UCL's Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, lead author of the study." The clear message here is that the more fruit and vegetables you eat, the less likely you are to die at any age. Vegetables have a larger effect than fruit, but fruit still makes a real difference. If you're happy to snack on carrots or other vegetables, then that is a great choice but if you fancy something sweeter, a banana or any fruit will also do you good."

The findings lend support to the Australian government's 'Go for 2 + 5' guidelines, which recommend eating two portions of fruit and five of vegetables. The UK Department of Health recommends '5 a day', while 'Fruit and Veggies -- More Matters' is the key message in the USA.

"Our study shows that people following Australia's 'Go for 2 + 5' advice will reap huge health benefits," says Dr Oyebode. "However, people shouldn't feel daunted by a big target like seven. Whatever your starting point, it is always worth eating more fruit and vegetables. In our study even those eating one to three portions had a significantly lower risk than those eating less than one"

The researchers found no evidence of significant benefit from fruit juice, and canned and frozen fruit appeared to increase risk of death by 17% per portion. The survey did not distinguish between canned and frozen fruit so this finding is difficult to interpret. Canned fruit products are almost four times more popular than frozen fruit in Europe*, so it is likely that canned fruit dominated this effect.

"Most canned fruit contains high sugar levels and cheaper varieties are packed in syrup rather than fruit juice," explains Dr Oyebode. "The negative health impacts of the sugar may well outweigh any benefits. Another possibility is that there are confounding factors that we could not control for, such as poor access to fresh groceries among people who have pre-existing health conditions, hectic lifestyles or who live in deprived areas."


Action Item: Count your vegetable and fruit servings daily for a week. How are you doing?

For Further Reading: Fruit & Veggies: More Matters and Serving Sizes