The recently released Australia's Health 2018 report found more than 99 percent of children and 96 percent of adults don’t eat the recommended intake of five serves of vegetables a day. Further research also found that 7.8 million deaths across the globe have been attributed to low intake of vegetables.
The findings are somewhat shocking, given that Australia is one of those lucky countries where a huge variety of fresh fruit and vegetables are readily accessible and available.
Having a high intake of vegetables can result in a lower risk of heart disease, some cancers and type 2 diabetes. In fact, for every 200 grams of fruit and veggies eaten each day, there’s an 8 percent reduction in the risk for heart disease and a 16 percent risk reduction for stroke, according to new research that uses data from 95 different studies.
And while some people confess they don’t eat veggies because they don’t like the taste or don’t have time to cook, the pros of a diet rich with fruit and vegetables far outweigh the cons.
Eating more apples, pears, citrus fruits, cruciferous vegetables (such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and radish), and leafy green vegetables is associated with a lower risk of heart disease and death.
Bhg.com.au reports this is surely something to keep in mind considering the leading cause of death of males in Australia in 2016 was heart disease.