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Don't worry, I'm not going to tell you to eat your fruits and vegetables because that's what you're supposed to do, no, I want to spend a quick moment on explaining a few of the big benefits of eating them.  Now please realize that I want to keep this short and sweet ... no pun intended, so please don't get on me if I leave out another benefit to eating them.  This isn't supposed to be a long detailed report on how studies have shown the consumption of fruits and vegetables to cause some miraculous change in the body; my goal is to summarize a few quick benefits that I feel are some of the biggest reasons for including them in your eating plan.

First off, some of you may have heard that the sugar content in veggies, and especially fruits, is too high to bother eating them when you're trying to lose weight. You may have heard of a friend who stopped eating fruit and ended up losing a few more pounds.  True, there is sugar in fruits and vegetables, but there's also fiber, and fiber is extremely important in the diet.  Because fruits and veggies contain fiber, the sugar content they have doesn't affect blood sugar like eating a candy bar does.  (Plus, this sugar is natural sugar, unlike the refined/added sugar in candies and sweets.)  The fiber helps slow down the breakdown and absorption of glucose in the body, and as a result, blood sugars levels don't spike as much, and you won't find yourself craving more sweets like you would with eating a candy bar.  Fiber is so important, especially for weight loss, because it helps flush the system of all the toxins and junk that builds up in the body.  This keeps the body healthier and more efficient in what it does.

The second reason for fruits and veggies is because of all the vitamins and minerals packed into them.  Now, of course, everybody knows this, so I'm not going to go any further but to say that fresh fruits and vegetables have more vitamins and minerals in them compared to canned, overly cooked, and those that sit out for too long.  Also, make sure you always wash your fruits and veggies because the skins absorb a lot of chemicals, and by washing them, you can help get rid of these chemicals.  But on top of that, a lot of the "good stuff" is right around the skin, so you still want to eat it.

The final point I'll make about fruits and vegetables is their antioxidant powers.  Especially for those working out, fruits and vegetables are essential because they help fight free radicals.  Free radicals are very unstable molecules that can destroy the body; more importantly, they can cause cancer.  When we work out very hard, free radicals can form.  What antioxidants do is they sacrifice part of their molecule to neutralize the free radical.  The free radical gets what it wants, so it doesn't have to go around destroying the body anymore.  This is one of my biggest reasons for eating fruits and vegetables, especially when I'm training for some race.  Bottom line is fruits and vegetable are essential to help fight off these free radicals.  Combine that with all the other benefits, and fruits and veggies are a must in any eating plan ... exerciser or non-exerciser.

If you're wondering how many servings you need of each, check out MyPyramid.gov.

For those of you too lazy to click the link, these are the daily recommendations (courtesy of MyPyramid.gov).  Clicking the link will explain what constitutes as a cup. 

Fruit Servings

Daily recommendation*
Children		2-3 years old		1 cup
		4-8 years old		1 to 1 ½ cups
Girls		9-13 years old		1 ½ cups
		14-18 years old		1 ½ cups
Boys		9-13 years old		1 ½ cups
		14-18 years old		2 cups
Women		19-30 years old		2 cups
		31-50 years old		1 ½ cups
		51+ years old		1 ½ cups
Men		19-30 years old		2 cups
		31-50 years old		2 cups
		51+ years old		2 cups

*These amounts are appropriate for individuals who get less than 30 minutes per day of moderate physical activity, beyond normal daily activities. Those who are more physically active may be able to consume more while staying within calorie needs.

Daily recommendation*
Children		2-3 years old		1 cup
		4-8 years old		1 ½ cups
Girls		9-13 years old		2 cups
		14-18 years old		2 ½ cups
Boys		9-13 years old		2 ½ cups
		14-18 years old		3 cups
Women		19-30 years old		2 ½ cups
		31-50 years old		2 ½ cups
		51+ years old		2 cups
Men		19-30 years old		3 cups
		31-50 years old		3 cups
		51+ years old		2 ½ cups

Tags: nutrition, weight loss