Fruits and vegetables: Recommended Daily Intake
Fruits and vegetables have long been enjoyed for the natural sweetness and refreshment they bring. They make dishes appetizing and delicious with the color, texture and balancing taste they provide. These “regulating” foods do not only satisfy our senses but our body’s nutritional needs as well. Fruits and vegetables supply the body with nutrients that promote good health. Here are three of the most important benefits we get from them:
Vitamins and minerals in regulating foods keep our organs healthy. They promote good eyesight, growth, teeth and bone density, and healthy blood. They also shield us from allergies, asthma, infection and common diseases by strengthening our immune system. Vitamin A makes us beautiful with vibrant skin and glossy hair, while some minerals like magnesium effect our mood and feelings.
Antioxidants replenish damaged cells caused by free radicals, by-products that are produced when oxygen is used up. The presence of antioxidants in our body protects it from chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and hypertension as well as other medical conditions.
Fiber in most fruits and vegetables helps the body get rid of waste by acting as sweeping agents in the intestinal tract. Toxins that stay in the body cause illness such as constipation, hemorrhoids and colon cancer. Fiber also binds fatty acids and prolongs satiety which regulate blood pressure and blood sugar respectively. Below is the Recommended Daily Intake from the National Food and Research Institute (FNRI):
