Summary

• Vegetables and Fruits (V+F) are packed with healthy phytochemicals, fibre, and nutrients

  • These nutrients can improve health and physical performance

• Start small and add a little more when you can

• Try to add V+F to every meal and snack

  • Target 5, or ideally 7-10, servings of vegetables and fruit per day but servings are hard to estimate so just do your best

• Activity: use the table below to pick your rainbow (select at least 1 food from each of the colours and make a list along with ways you can easily add them to your food).

• RxFood Activity: you can also see you V+F intake in the app

• Learn how to easily prepare these items and cut a basket of them at the beginning of the week.

  • Sample vegetable cutting tips here

Nature’s Medication

• V+F contain phytochemicals, which protect the plants from infection. They may also protect humans:

  • Anthocyanins: found in red, blue and purple V+F and may help to protect the heart, reduce inflammation, prevent blood clots, and more

  • Carotenoids, found in dark yellow, orange, and dark green leafy vegetables may support eye health and reduce inflammation

  • Catechins, present in black grapes, apricots and strawberries

  • Carotenoids, produced in pumpkin, carrots and bell peppers

  • Flavonoids, found in green tea, onions, apples, kale, and beans and may help with cognitive health, reduce inflammation, and lower some cancer risk

  • Isoflavones: found in soybeans and their products

  • Indoles: found in broccoli, bok choy, cabbage, kale, Brussel sprouts, and turnips that may prevent various cancers

  • Polyphenols, produced by cloves, berries and dark chocolate

  • Lycopene is found primarily in tomato products. When cooked, it appears to reduce the risk for cancer and heart attacks.

  • Phenolics are found in citrus fruits, cereals, legumes, and oilseeds and may help with protecting against heart disease and tumors, and fighting inflammation.

When we eat V+F, we absorb the phytochemicals, but these substances are cleared from the body so we need to regular consume these (multiple times a day) to keep the benefits.

The graph below shows how if you eat F+V once it will increase in your blood but will be cleared (see the first curve on the left). But if you regularly consume a variety of F+V, you will build up a higher level (see curve with the blue dots and lines).

Fruits and Vegetables

Color	Fruits	Vegetables
Red	Strawberries	Red Bell Peppers
Red	Raspberries	Tomatoes
Red	Red Apples	Red Grapes
Red	Cherries	Red Cabbage
Red	Watermelon	Red Onions
Orange	Oranges	Carrots
Orange	Apricots	Sweet Potatoes
Orange	Mangoes	Pumpkins
Orange	Cantaloupe	Orange Bell Peppers
Yellow	Bananas	Yellow Bell Peppers
Yellow	Pineapples	Yellow Squash
Yellow	Lemons	Yellow Tomatoes
Yellow	Yellow Apples	Corn
Yellow	Yellow Peaches	Yellow Beets
Green	Green Apples	Broccoli
Green	Kiwi	Kale
Green	Avocado	Brussels Sprouts
Green	Honeydew Melon	Green Bell Peppers
Green	Spinach	Lettuce
Purple	Blackberries	Eggplant
Purple	Plums	Purple Cabbage
Purple	Purple Grapes	Purple Potatoes
Purple	Purple Figs	Purple Cauliflower
Purple	Purple Asparagus	Purple Carrots
Blue	Blueberries	Blue Potatoes

Selected Foods:

You can also look here for more information on vegetables and fruits.