FRESH FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

Fresh fruit and vegetables are an important part of every diet since they rich in vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and fibre. Most of them contain plenty of water and virtually no fat, so they are economical in calories, too. Healthy eating guidelines advise eating 3-5 portions of vegetables every day and 2-4 servings of fruit. Few people achieve this, but it is not difficult if you replace all your snacks with fruit and have salad and vegetables at midday and in the evening.

Fruit
Fruit is generally popular as a snack or as a convenient second coourse to finish a meal. Most fruits are sweet, juicy, nutritious and easy to digest. For convenience, have washed fruit ready on hand. Take some along with you if you will need a snack where the only other food available to buy is likely to be sweets, chocolate or cakes, or where washing fruit would be impossible.

Most fruit should be eaten fresh and uncooked. Fresh frozen fruit is the next best nutritionally, and dried fruit is often more nutritious than canned fruit. Fruit that is gently stewed is its own juice can be easier to digest, and is helpful when chewing is a problem.

Vegetables
Vegetables are an important source of carbohydrate in the diet. Most vegetables are best eaten fresh and raw, but many people are unable to digest sufficient quantities of raw vegetables. Some, such as potatoes, have t be cooked anyway and others release more nutrients when cooked. Cooked carrots, for example, are a richer source of beta-carotene than raw carrots.

The best cooking methods for vegetables are baking or lightly steaming, as some vitamins and minerals leach into the water when vegetables are boiled. These nutrients can, however, be conserved if you use the cooking water to make soup, gravy or other sauces. Both dried and canned vegetables lose vitamins during processing, but freshly frozen vegetables retain most of their nutrients.

Choosing Fruit and Vegetables
When possible, choose organically grown produce: it requires a minimum of washing and does not need to be peeled. Non-organic produce has usually been treated with chemical pesticides and waxes, and is best washed thoroughly and peeled.

Unfortunately, the vitamins in fruit and vegetables can be lost in storage and, along with certain minerals, in cooking. Maximize the nutrients in your fruit and vegetables by:

• Shopping for produce more than once a week, choosing a shop with a good turnover.
• Eating produce ripe in its natural season: it is generally nutritionally superior to produce that has been picked early and artificially ripened. In temperature climates some storage of food is essential for the winter months.
• Washing salad and other leafy greens after buying them, allowing them to dry and storing in a plastic container or bag in the vegetables compartment of the refrigerator.
• Keeping fresh berbs in a little water in the refrigerator.
• Storing mushrooms in a paper bag in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator.
• Storing fruits, potatoes, tomatoes, onions and garlic in a cool, shady place rather than the refrigerator. Potatoes, should be stored in the dark.

Juices
Freshly juiced fruit and vegetables are particularly rich sources of vitamins and minerals, but they are low in the natural fibre that is so essential for health. Fruit juices, in particular, contain large amounts of sugar,and should always be diluted with the same volume of water. Some vegetables , such as carrot and beetroot, also contain sugar,and their juices are best diluted with other vegetable juice, such as celery, spinach or cabbage.

*If You Eat No Animal Protein
Choose from at least two of the following food groups each day:
Whole grains: wheat, rice, rye, corn etc.
Pulses: beans, peas, lentils etc.
Seeds: sunflower, sesame, pumpkin etc.
Nuts: almond, hazel, walnut, Brazil macadamia etc.

Vegetarian Diets
Vegetarian diets may be chosen for ethical reasons, or simply because they are thought to be healthier. However, vegetarians who eat dairy products and rely too much on cheese sometimes eat more animal fat, which is predominantly saturated fat, than meat-eaters. There are even some vegetarians who do not eat vegetables! The Optimum Diet applies to vegetarians as much as to anyone else.

The list of protein portions clearly shows that there is plentiful protein in whole grains, nuts, pulses and seeds. Even, potatoes contain an adequate proportion of protein by weight. However, although all animal sources of protein are complete for human needs, the protein in plants is usually incomplete, apart from soyabeans. Vegetarians, therefore, should eat some animal or soya protein each day, such as cheese, milk or yoghurt, or at least two types of plant protein (see the above*).

Vegetarians who never eat animal protein (vegans) can be deficient in zinc, iron and copper if they choose a diet that contains too many refined food, or if they have small appetites. If necessary, a supplement should be taken.

Iodine deficiency has been reported among vegans, but this can easily be remedied by eating kelp, or another seaweed. Vitamin B12 does not occur in plant food, and vegans should obtain it by eating fortified cereals or yeast extract.