Public health agencies and research organizations agree that being overweight increases the risk of many types of cancer, heart disease, arthritis, osteoporosis and other chronic illnesses. Whether the goal is to maintain a healthy weight or to drop extra pounds, eating a nutritious diet accompanied by regular exercise is widely acknowledged to be the safest path to good health. Unfortunately, several epidemiological studies have shown that most people do not eat enough fruits and veggies. The result is poor energy levels, which establish a negative relationship to physical fitness. Obviously, for diabetics, managing blood sugar, energy, and insulin levels are of the utmost importance. Whole fruits and veggies can help control all of these factors, and the non-diabetes benefits can help a person thrive through the condition.
Five Servings a Day
The refrain to eat 5 cups of fruits and vegetables a day is commonly spoken, but what does it mean? Does 4 cups of grapes and 1 cup of mashed potatoes count? Though the recommendation looks vague, public health researchers have been clear that more variety is better. The many colors of fruits and veggies are the result of a variety of compounds, including different types of minerals and antioxidants. Though the fiber is an important component, the research has stressed that it is just as important to garner the benefits of the variety of micronutrients found in yellow, red, orange, blue, and green fruits and veggies.
The results of epidemiological research have shown, for instance, that people eating more dietary fiber have a lower risk of colorectal cancer. However, other studies attempted to provide only isolated fiber to individuals. The inconclusive results of these efforts showed that preventing colorectal cancer requires more than the fiber alone. The variety of antioxidants and other micronutrients are just as important. The fiber also helps slow digestion and slows the release of nutrients into the blood. This can prevent insulin spike and mellows out the aggravation of sugar for diabetics. Whole fruit is sugary, but the fiber makes it helpful for diabetics to eat.
Establishing a Healthy Diet
People did not just decide one day to adopt an unhealthy diet. With a majority of people lacking the balanced nutrition required for good health, it is worth asking why. A combination of more hectic work schedules, convenient foods that are heavily processed, and loss of familiarity with how to prepare many fruits and veggies has set the stage for chronic disease epidemics. Obviously, it will be difficult to break this negative cycle, or it would already have been done.
The good news is that there are options available to ensure you get the right balance of nutritious foods. A growing number of products, such as monavie, offer the ability to get a nutritious variety of colorful fruits and veggies in the convenience of a lightly processed liquid. Modern appliances make it easy to process store-bought or home-grown fruits and veggies and store them cheaply. As consumers demand more nutritious options, restaurants provide more healthy menu options. Whether through monavie or restaurant salads, eating more fruits and veggies will pay off in the long run. Good health is priceless, and acknowledging this wisdom is key. While juices are traditionally seen as having too high of a glycemic index, if they have been concentrated correctly, the sugar content has not gone up, but the phytochemical, mineral, and vitamin coutn has.
