• • • • Slow ageing [6]

      • Protect the arteries [2]

      • Boost heart functioning [2]

      • Reduce LDL level [2]

      • Slow cognitive decline [3]

      • Support antioxidant activity [3]

      • Boost immune system functioning [4]

      • Reduce oxidative stress [4]

      • Improve eyesight [5]

      • Prevent cellular damage [6]

      • Improve bowel movements [7]

High vegetable intake can lower blood pressure, protect against heart attacks and strokes, prevent some types of cancer, improve digestive health, lower the risk of eye problems, and help stabilize blood sugar levels, which may lower appetite.

Fruits and vegetables that are not starchy, such as apples, pears, and green leafy vegetables, may help you lose weight. Their low glycaemic indexes minimize blood sugar surges, which can lead to a decrease in hunger.

There are at least nine main fruit and vegetable families, each with hundreds of different plant components that are helpful to one's health. It is important to eat a variety of foods to give the body the nutrients it needs.

As a result, not only do you get a wider range of beneficial plant chemicals but also more visually pleasing meals [1]. It's a safe and nutritious method to lose or maintain weight by eating more vegetables, as well as whole grains, lean meats, nuts, and legumes.

A high-vegetable diet may also lower the risk of certain cancers and chronic illnesses. Aside from vitamins and minerals, fruits and vegetables also contain fibre and other nutrients that are beneficial to health [3].

Cardiovascular disease

There is compelling evidence that a diet rich in vegetables can lower the risk of heart disease and stroke.

A meta-analysis of cohort studies following 469,551 participants found that a higher intake of fruits and vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease, with an average reduction in risk of 4% for each additional serving per day of fruit and vegetables. [2b]

The largest and longest study to date, done as part of the Harvard-based Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study, included almost 110,000 men and women whose health and dietary habits were followed for 14 years.
The higher the average daily intake of fruits and vegetables, the lower the chances of developing cardiovascular disease.

Compared with those in the lowest category of fruit and vegetable intake (less than 1.5 servings a day), those who averaged 8 or more servings a day were 30% less likely to have had a heart attack or stroke. [3b]

Although all fruits and vegetables likely contributed to this benefit, green leafy vegetables, such as lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, and mustard greens, were most strongly associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, and kale also made important contributions. [3b]

When researchers combined findings from the Harvard studies with several other long-term studies in the U.S. and Europe, and looked at coronary heart disease and stroke separately, they found a similar protective effect: Individuals who ate more than 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day had roughly a 20% lower risk of coronary heart disease [4b] and stroke, [5b] compared with individuals who ate less than 3 servings per day.

Blood pressure

This study[6b] examined the effect on blood pressure of a diet that was rich in vegetables. The researchers found that people with high blood pressure who followed this diet reduced their systolic blood pressure (the upper number of a blood pressure reading) by about 11 mm Hg and their diastolic blood pressure (the lower number) by almost 6 mm Hg—as much as medications can achieve.

A randomized trial known as the Optimal Macronutrient Intake Trial for Heart Health (OmniHeart) showed that this fruit and vegetable-rich diet lowered blood pressure even more when some of the carbohydrate was replaced with healthy unsaturated fat or protein. [7b]

In 2014 a meta-analysis of clinical trials and observational studies found that consumption of a vegetarian diet was associated with lower blood pressure. [8b]

Cancer

Farvid and colleagues followed 90, 534 premenopausal women from the Nurses’ Health Study II over 20 years and found that higher fibre intakes during adolescence and early adulthood were associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer later in life. When comparing the highest and lowest fibre intakes from fruits and vegetables, women with the highest fruit fibre intake had a 12% reduced risk of breast cancer; those with the highest vegetable fibre intake had an 11% reduced risk. [10b]

After following 182,145 women in the Nurses’ Health Study I and II for 30 years, Farvid’s team also found that women who ate more than 5.5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day (especially cruciferous and yellow/orange vegetables) had an 11% lower risk of breast cancer than those who ate 2.5 or fewer servings. Vegetable intake was strongly associated with a 15% lower risk of estrogen-receptor-negative tumours for every two additional servings of vegetables eaten daily. A higher intake of fruits and vegetables was associated with a lower risk of other aggressive tumours, including HER2-enriched and basal-like tumours. [11b]

A report by the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research suggests that non-starchy vegetables—such as lettuce and other leafy greens, broccoli, bok choy, cabbage, as well as garlic, onions, and the like protect against several types of cancers, including those of the mouth, throat, voice box, esophagus, and stomach. Fruit probably also protects against lung cancer. [12b]
Specific components of fruits and vegetables may also be protective against cancer.

For example:

A line of research stemming from a finding from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study suggests that tomatoes may help protect men against prostate cancer, especially aggressive forms of it. [12b] One of the pigments that give tomatoes their red hue—lycopene—could be involved in this protective effect. Although several studies other than the Health Professional's Study have also demonstrated a link between tomatoes or lycopene and prostate cancer, others have not or have found only a weak connection. [14b]

Taken as a whole, however, these studies suggest that increased consumption of tomato-based products and other lycopene-containing foods may reduce the occurrence of prostate cancer. [12b] Lycopene is one of several carotenoids (compounds that the body can turn into vitamin A) found in brightly coloured fruits and vegetables, and research suggests that foods containing carotenoids may protect against lung, mouth, and throat cancer. [12b] But more research is needed to understand the exact relationship between fruits and vegetables, carotenoids, and cancer.

Diabetes

A study of over 70,000 female nurses aged 38-63 years, who were free of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes, showed that consumption of green leafy vegetables was associated with a lower risk of diabetes. While not conclusive, research also indicated that consumption of fruit juices may be associated with an increased risk among women. (16b)

A study of over 2,300 Finnish men showed that vegetables and fruits, especially berries, may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. [17b]

Weight

Data from the Nurses’ Health Studies and the Health Professional’s Follow-up Study show that women and men who increased their intakes of fruits and vegetables over a 24-year period were more likely to have lost weight than those who ate the same amount or those who decreased their intake. Berries, apples, pears, soy, and cauliflower were associated with weight loss while starchier vegetables like potatoes, corn, and peas were linked with weight gain. [1b] However, keep in mind that adding more produce into the diet won’t necessarily help with weight loss unless it replaces another food, such as refined carbohydrates of white bread and crackers.

Gastrointestinal Health

Fruits and vegetables contain indigestible fibre, which absorbs water and expands as it passes through the digestive system. This can calm symptoms of an irritable bowel and, by triggering regular bowel movements, can relieve or prevent constipation. [18] The bulking and softening action of insoluble fibre also decreases pressure inside the intestinal tract and may help prevent diverticulosis. [19b]

Vision

Eating fruits and vegetables can also keep your eyes healthy, and may help prevent two common ageing-related eye diseases—cataracts and macular degeneration—which afflict millions of Americans over age 65. [20-23b] Lutein and zeaxanthin, in particular, seem protective against cataracts. [24b]