Eat a rainbow for your health everyday - FITORAC

Why are fruit and vegetables a must in our daily diet?

According to the American National Cancel Institute, we shoud aim for an average of 7 servings of fruits and vegetables daily as eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables decrease the risk of adnormal cells growth.

Why do you need so many servings?

In addition to vitamins and minerals,fruits and vegetables contain naturally-occuring,brightly coloured plant compounds call phytonutrients.Phytonutrients are powerful free radical scavengers and immune system boosters that have various health-protecting qualities which amongst other, help to :

- reduce the internal oxidative stress

- reduce the effect of environment toxins on our body

Generally,phytonutrients come in 7 different colour groups.It is important to take phytonutrients of different colours as each colour group addresses different oxidative reactions in our cells. The more colours you add to your diet,the greater the degree of health protection you can enjoy,thus it is important to consume food from various colour groups for optimal health protection and longevity.

Red - improve blood flow in heart, strengthen eye functions, healp decrease formation of adnormal cells.

Orange - beneficial to eyes, skin and vascular health

Yellow - prevent degeneration of eyesight,protect skin from UV damage

Green - purify blood,activate detoxification enzymes in liver and gastrointestinal tract

White - coordinate activities of immune cells,maintain healthy cardiovascular functions, help reduce tissue inflammation,reduce allergy and viral infections

Blue - Help prevent development of abnormal cells,protect against harmful effects of UV rays

Purple - help prevent development of abnormal cells and DNA damage, slow down ageing process

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Noncommunicable disease (cancers,cardiovascular disease,diabetes etc) account for 59% of the 56.5 million deaths annually worldwide and 45.9% of the global burden of disease.

One of the Major Factors behind this is : Insufficient and Imbalance Comsumption of Fruits & Vegetables

* Up to 2.7 million lives could be saved annually with sufficient fruit & vegetable consumption. - World Health Report 2002,WHO

* People who consumed > 8 serving of fruits and vegetables daily were 30% less likely to get a heart attack or stroke. - Harvard University, UK

* 20-30% of upper gastrointestinal tract cancers due to low intake of fruits and vegetables could be prevented. - Harvard University, UK.

* Cancer incidence could decrease by 5-12% with increased fruits and vegetables consumption. - The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)

Literature Review ( 1999 - 2002 ):

" ... the current evidence collectively demonstrates that fruits and vegetables intake is associate with improved health, reduce risk of major disease, and possibly delayed onset of age-related indicators."

The Health Benefits of Fruits and Vegetables, 2002 - by Produce for Better Health Foundation (www.fruitsandveggiesmorethanmatters.org)