There is a growing trend in health
to promote more consumption of fruits and vegetables and less starchy
carbohydrates for better weight management.
Fruits and vegetables are loaded with nutritious vitamins and minerals,
which are essential for proper growth and cellular survival. Moreover, fruits and vegetables provide
proper roughage for the colon and they help fill the stomach with fewer
calories than starchy carbohydrates.
One
of the most important reasons to consume fruits and vegetables is the
protection they provide against certain cancers. The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) recommend a diet that is “rich in fruits and
vegetables” in order to “reduce the risk of cancer and other chronic
conditions”. This underscores the
importance of consuming plentiful fruits and vegetables every day to help prevent
future chronic illness.
A healthful diet loaded with
colorful fruits and vegetables are currently suggested for everyone to eat
daily. The CDC suggests that everyone should consume
at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily for optimal health, but
what happens when individuals take this to the extreme? There are claims that when an individual consumes
too much fruit, the person can actually become fatter. There is some truth to this.
Technically, when an individual over-consumes
too much of one nutrient, the body stores the unnecessary energy as fat. Fruit is primarily consisted of fructose- a
form of simple sugar that is broken down by the body quicker than complex
sugars. High consumption of fructose has
been linked to obesity, diabetes, and nonalcoholic fatty
liver disease. While there is an
association of increased consumption of fructose (which is the main sugar in
fruit) and obesity, diabetes, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, the
association does not describe how much too much.
Consuming at least five servings of
fruit and vegetables every day is necessary for optimal health. What happens when one consumes too much fruit
in the diet because he/she does not care to eat vegetables? Fruits and vegetables are both composed of
fructose, which has been shown to cause obesity, diabetes, and nonalcoholic
fatty liver disease when over-consumed in extreme amounts. The high amounts that are claimed to cause
fat gain are an extremely high amount, more than most grown adults can
handle.
Studies have shown that consuming
more than seven servings of fruits and vegetables is
beneficial for the reduced risk from cancer and cardiovascular mortality. Seven servings of fruit is an extraordinary
amount that most individuals could eat, but probably could not sustain this
high of an amount for any prolonged period of time. Plus if seven servings is too much to consume
daily and there are health benefits associated with over seven servings of
fruits and vegetables, then there is little doubt that this amount of fructose
could cause significant fat or weight gain.
The fact about consuming fruits and
vegetables is that eating more is healthy.
While there is possibility that over-consuming fruits can cause the body
to store fat, there is little chance that anyone can eat this much to cause fat
gain in the body. In fact, research has
shown that consuming seven or more servings daily can help lower cancer risk. The research supporting the benefits of
consuming fruits and vegetables definitely outweighs the potential harm of over-consuming. This information is not intended to diagnose
or treat any illness and all medical conditions should be discussed with a
physician.
Stay Solid, Lochs ;-)
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