Nutritional Content of Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are important groups on the food pyramid and are known for being healthy. Because they are important to your daily diet, it is beneficial to understand how they can affect your nutrition.

Varieties

• Popular fruits to add to a diet include apples, bananas and grapes. Avocados are also considered a fruit and are known for their level of healthy fats (4.5 g per 30 g of avocado). Popular vegetables include carrots, broccoli, potatoes and sweet corn.

Benefits of Vegetables

• While there are various benefits to be found in vegetables, some of the most prominent include potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin A and vitamin C. One medium stalk of broccoli has 220 percent of your recommended daily intake, or daily value, of vitamin C. Green beans are a good source of dietary fiber, as less than one cup of green beans has 12 percent of your daily value.

Benefits of Fruits

• Fruits also are high in vitamin A and vitamin C. One serving of grapefruit (half of a fruit) has 100 percent of your daily value of vitamin C. One serving of cantaloupe (quarter of a fruit) has 120 percent of your daily value of vitamin A.

Considerations

• It is important to note that most fruit and vegetables do not feature significant amounts of protein, forcing you to add them to foods with protein. Broccoli and sweet potatoes do have protein, however, with 4 g per serving of each.

Warning

• Fruits are high in sugar. While this is naturally occurring, sugar can still be detrimental to your diet. One large apple has 25 g of sugar.