15 Healthy Reasons To Eat Fruits Everyday

1. The World Health Organisation has found that 85pc of adult cancers are avoidable, and of these, around half are related to nutrition deficiencies in the Western diet – many of which can be rectified by eating those five portions of fruit and vegetables.

2. In the UK, one person dies every three minutes from coronary heart disease, but new research from Cambridge University has found that eating just one apple a day cuts your risk of premature death from heart disease by 20pc. Add one orange and one banana and that increases to 50pc.

3. Minor infections like colds and flu are also less likely if you eat plenty of fruit and veg – particularly kiwi fruit, raspberries, blueberries, red peppers and citrus fruit. These offer the best way to get high levels of vitamin C in your diet – and research shows that people with high intakes of vitamin C have 34pc fewer sick days than others.

4. A study in 1998 showed that a high-fibre diet will protect against breast cancer and prostate cancer. Cabbage, peas, beans, berries and dried fruit are particularly rich sources, but there is fibre in nearly all vegetables and most fruit.

5. Age-related memory loss is one of the most distressing elements of old age, but a 1999 study found that a diet containing the equivalent of half a cup of blueberries a day can actually stimulate the growth of new brain cells, which may prevent memory deterioration.

6. Most of us think only dairy products can help build bones, but dark green leafy vegetables such as broccoli and kale can also provide calcium, while onions stop the process that causes bones to weaken. Studies from the University of Bern in Switzerland found just one gram of onion a day is enough to strengthen your skeleton.

7. Five portions a week of red fruit and vegetables – for example, tomatoes, watermelon and red pepper – can reduce the risk of lung cancer by a quarter.

8. Research at the University of Arizona has shown that a daily intake of five to ten portions of red, yellow or orange fruit and vegetables can reduce skin cancer risk by forming a UV protection layer under the skin.

9. According to the world’s largest study on successful weight loss, focusing on a diet high in fruit and vegetables is a vital factor in losing weight and keeping it off. This is not surprising when you think that a 2-3tbsp portion of most fruit or veg contains just 50 calories – the same as five potato crisps or half a chocolate biscuit.

10. A high intake of fruit and veg has been shown to lower the risk of stomach cancer. A Swedish study on sets of twins found that a twin eating a high intake of fruit and vegetables had a 5.5 times less risk of stomach cancer than their brother or sister who did not eat a high intake of fruit and vegetables.

11. Research shows that compounds in cranberries and blueberries stop bacteria sticking to the inside of the urinary tract and so help prevent infections like cystitis from taking hold. A handful of blueberries or a glass of cranberry juice a day can cut frequency of attacks by 58pc.

12. Eating two-and-a-half carrots a day has been shown to lower cholesterol by 11 per cent in three weeks in Scottish studies. High cholesterol is one of the major risk factors in heart disease.

13. A 12 year American study showed a significant reduction in strokes among people who consumed a high level of potassium. Fresh fruit and vegetables – particularly bananas, grapes, leeks and cabbages – all provide plenty of potassium.

14. Eating fewer than one-anda-half portions of fruit and vegetables a day increases your risk of cataracts – the major cause of blindness in the world – by 600pc. Spinach helps prevent cataracts and prevents agerelated macular degeneration – the commonest cause of blindness in people over 55.

15. Studies show that people who eat diets high in fruit and vegetables that contain vitamin B6 (such as bananas and avocados) find it easier to handle stress that those who did not.

Culled from dailymail.uk