Imagine what it would be like if there were no vegetables or fruit to eat. Without them, most of our food would be dull shades of brown and gray. Food would lack taste, texture, shape, and smell.

Not only do vegetables and fruit add a wide variety of colours, textures, and flavours to our diet, they also pack a powerful punch when it comes to our health and well-being. In fact, the 2003 Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity, and Health report found that up to 2.7 million lives could be saved annually if more people consumed adequate amounts of vegetables and fruit. This is largely due to how nutrients contained in these foods work in our bodies to reduce our risk for developing several chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and some forms of cancer. Adiet that is rich in these foods is also key in reaching and keeping a healthy body weight.

Eating enough vegetables and fruit also provides many health benefits earlier in life. For example, nutrients in these foods allow children to grow and develop properly, and help women to give birth to healthy infants.

How do Windsor-Essex County residents fare when it comes to eating adequate amounts of vegetables and fruit? Considering their health impact, not as well as many health experts would like! In 2003, Statistics Canada reported that almost two-thirds of Windsor-Essex County residents, 12 years of age and over, consumed vegetables and fruits less than five times per day.

Nearly all of us could benefit from eating more vegetables and fruit on a daily basis. The good news is that increasing your intake by even one serving of vegetables or fruit is a step in the right direction. More good news: one serving is probably a lot smaller than you think! Read on…

References:

Statistics Canada. (2003). Dietary practices in 2003. Retrieved April 28, 2005 from http://www.statcan.ca/start.html

Report of a Joint WHO/FAO Expert Consultation. 2003. Diet, nutrition and the prevention of chronic diseases, WHO Technical Report Series No. 916. Retrieved March 22, 2005 from http://www.who.int/ dietphysicalactivity/publications/trs916