Raise your hands if you have thought that an apple a day could literally keep the doctor away? This saying, which is as old as time itself, sums up that we have all grown up hearing how we should eat five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, in order to remain healthy.
While eating 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily is alright, taking it up to the next level, can be even more beneficial for you. Yes, while the WHO (World Health Organization) recommends eating 5 portions of fruits and vegetables every day, a new study has pointed out that eating up to 10 portions of the same every day can drastically increase the health benefits of fruits and vegetables.
The study, conducted by the Imperial College London suggested that if people started consuming 800 grams of fruits and vegetables--which is double the recommended portion and equals 10 portions--approximately 7.8 million premature deaths worldwide could be potentially prevented every year. How was the study conducted? To conduct the study, the research team analyzed 95 different studies, which approximately included up to 2 million people worldwide. They examined up to 43,000 cases of heart disease, 47,000 cases of stroke, 81,000 cases of cardiovascular disease, 112,000 cancer cases and 94,000 deaths. What do 10 portions a day look like? It may seem like a daunting task at first, to include 10 portions of fruits and vegetables in your diet, but we do have an easy way out for you. The meal plan: 1. Start the day by including a freshly squeezed orange juice to your breakfast. Alternatively, you can also add fresh fruits as toppings to your bowl of cereal. Portion count: 1
2. You can roast some broccoli, cauliflower with tomato, in olive oil with cumin seeds for your lunch. Portion count 3
3. Have one whole apple and banana as your afternoon snack. Portion count 2
4. As you struggle your way back home after a long day at work, a smoothie made up of frozen grapes and berries is the perfect way to curb the pangs of hunger. Portion count 2
5. Have lots of green, leafy vegetables, including green peas and beans in your dinner. Portion count 2
If you were thinking of taking the easy way out by popping multivitamins, we have a piece of bad news for you.

The lead author of the study says, "Most likely it is the whole package of beneficial nutrients you obtain by eating fruits and vegetables that is crucial is health. This is why it is important to eat whole plant foods to get the benefit, instead of taking antioxidant or vitamin supplements (which have not been shown to reduce disease risk)."

The takeaway

Fret not, if you are someone who is diligently eating 5 portions of fruits and vegetables every day and can’t really accommodate more, you are still good to go.

To quote the lead author of the study at the School of Public Health at Imperial, Dr Dagfinn Aune, “We wanted to investigate how much fruit and vegetables you need to eat to gain the maximum protection against disease, and premature death. Our results suggest that although five portions of fruit and vegetables is good, 10 a day is even better.”

Source: indiatimes.com