Fruit and Vegetable Benefits

Nutrient Information

Fruits and vegetables are sources of many vitamins, minerals and other natural substances that may help protect you from chronic diseases. Some of these nutrients may also be found in other foods. Eating a balanced diet and making other lifestyle changes are key to maintaining your body's good health.

Fiber

Diets rich in dietary fiber have been shown to have a number of beneficial effects including decreased risk of coronary artery disease.

Excellent vegetable sources: 
navy beans, kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, lima beans, white beans, soybeans, split peas, chick peas, black eyed peas, lentils, artichokes

Folate

Healthful diets with adequate folate may reduce a woman's risk of having a child with a brain or spinal cord defect.

Excellent vegetable sources: 
black eyed peas, cooked spinach, great northern beans, asparagus

Potassium

Diets rich in potassium may help to maintain a healthy blood pressure.

Good fruit and vegetable sources: 
sweet potatoes, tomato paste, tomato puree, beet greens, white potatoes, white beans, lima beans, cooked greens, carrot juice, prune juice

Vitamin A

Vitamin A keeps eyes and skin healthy and helps to protect against infections.

Excellent fruit and vegetable sources: 
sweet potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, spinach, turnip greens, mustard greens, kale, collard greens, winter squash, cantaloupe, red peppers, Chinese cabbage

Vitamin C

Vitamin C helps heal cuts and wounds and keep teeth and gums healthy.

Excellent fruit and vegetable sources: 
red and green peppers, kiwi, strawberries, sweet potatoes, kale, cantaloupe, broccoli, pineapple, Brussels sprouts, oranges, mangoes, tomato juice, cauliflower

Good sources: These foods contain 10 to 19 percent of the Daily Value per reference amount.

Excellent sources: These foods contain 20 percent or more of the Daily Value per reference amount.

Source from: http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/benefits/nutrient_guide.html

5 Easy Ways to Prevent Overeating.

Enjoying a breakfast that includes lean protein, such as eggs, will help you stay fuller all morning and prevent overeating later on.

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These tips will help you feel fuller longer and curb cravings. Give them a try, and you could prevent overeating before you have even had the chance to say, "I couldn't eat another bite"!

                                                                                                                              

Don't skimp during the day to "save" calories for later on in the evening. No matter how "in control" you feel during the day, you're likely to become overly hungry by evening, which is a sure-fire way to give in to overeating. And above all, don't skip any meals to reserve calories for another; it almost always backfires.

Eat breakfast every morning. Doing so keeps your blood sugar stable -- which helps keep cravings at bay -- and energy levels high (we tend to eat more when feeling sluggish). In fact, studies have shown that people who eat breakfast tend to be at a healthier weight than those of us who skip it.

Drinking plenty of water throughout the day as well as eating water-rich fruits such as melon or oranges will help you feel sated throughout the day. Additionally, thirst is easily confused with hunger so staying well-hydrated may prevent you from eating when you're not actually feeling true hunger.

Get enough sleep. Without even realizing it, we tend to eat more when we're tired; it's a way to "perk" ourselves up. While eating something high in carbs will give you a burst of energy, it will soon fade away. Feeling well-rested may help keep that "afternoon slump" at bay (and you away from the vending machine).

Eat on a regular schedule. Eating regularly will keep you from getting too hungry to stay in control of what -- and how much -- you eat. You should never go longer than five hours without eating; ideally, you should have something every three hours or so. This can be accomplished by incorporating healthful snacks into your day or by eating several mini-meals instead of three large ones.

 source: http://weightloss.about.com/od/eatsmart/qt/overeating.htm

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