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Fruit & Vegetable Vitamin Information

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), making lifestyle changes including eating a balanced diet is vital to maintaining good health. It is believed that vitamins, minerals and other substances in food can protect the body against chronic diseases, such as coronary artery disease and high blood pressure. Many of these beneficial substances can be found in fruits and vegetables, and the CDC recommends that you eat a variety of these foods daily. The American Heart Association recommends eating eight or more servings each day, for a total of 4.5 cups.

  1. Vitamin C

    • Vitamin C helps repair the body by healing wounds. It also keeps the teeth and gums healthy, while aiding in the absorption of iron. Good fruit and vegetable sources of vitamin C are peppers, strawberries, sweet potatoes, broccoli, oranges and tomato juice. Vitamin C is sensitive to heat, and cooking for a long time with high temperatures may result in a loss of nutritional value in foods rich in vitamin C. Steaming and microwaving are good ways to prepare vegetables to preserve nutrients.

    Vitamin A

    • Vitamin A helps to protect the body against infections. It also maintains skin and eye health. The old joke that nobody ever saw a rabbit with glasses (meaning that rabbits have good vision because they eat carrots) may be true after all. Carrots are very high in vitamin A, along with cantaloupe, red peppers, spinach, pumpkin and sweet potatoes. These foods provide at least 20 percent of the daily requirement of vitamin A. Vitamin A is also heat-sensitive.

    Folate

    • Folate (folic acid) aids in the production of red blood cells. Women of childbearing age who may become pregnant and women who are in the first trimester of pregnancy should have adequate folate. This is because it is believed that folate reduces the risk of having a child with a defect of the spinal chord or brain, such as neural tube defects, spina bifida and anencephaly. The Institute of Medicine recommends 400 mcg of a folic acid supplement added to their dietary folate. Excellent vegetable sources for folate are cooked spinach, asparagus and black-eyed peas.

    Potassium

    • Potassium helps to maintain healthy blood pressure in the body. Fruit and vegetable sources that contain 10 to 19 percent of the daily requirement of potassium are prune juice, tomato paste, beet greens, white and lima beans, white potatoes and carrot juice.

    Fiber

    • Fiber contained in vegetables helps to reduce cholesterol levels in the blood. High cholesterol is thought to be a risk factor in developing heart disease. Fiber also helps to maintain proper bowel function by reducing constipation and diverticulosis. In addition, vegetables containing fiber create a feeling of fullness to aid in the maintenance of optimum weight. Excellent vegetable sources of fiber include chick peas, split peas, artichokes and a variety of beans.

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