Learn why fruits and veggies are so good for you

We've all heard that we should eat 5 - 9 servings of fruits and veggies each day, but do we fully understand why? We'll cover the major health benefits of common fruits and vegetables so that you can make informed decisions.

• There are more than 900 different compounds (called phytochemicals) that can be found in fruits and vegetables. These compounds have been shown to slow the aging process, reduce DNA damage, and help prevent countless diseases and medical conditions like cancer, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, macular degeneration, osteoporosis, and urinary tract infections.
• Want more phytochemicals? Look for richly coloured foods. Phytochemicals are what gives vegetables and fruits their brilliant colours. For instance, anthocyanins give blueberries, purple grapes, and red cabbage their blue-purple colours, and they can help prevent heart disease.
• Carotenoids like beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, and lycopene give carrots, corn, and tomatoes their orange-yellow-red colours, and these phytochemicals can help reduce DNA damage, help prevent high blood pressure, and ward off complications associated with diabetes.
• Green vegetables like spinach, kale, and broccoli contain the carotenoid lutein, which can help strengthen your eyes.

Here are just a few phytochemicals and their health benefits:

• Garlic, leeks, onions, and scallions contain allium compounds that fight cancer, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
• Red cabbage, blueberries, cherries, cranberries, grapes, pomegranates, plums, and strawberries contain anthocyanins, which can help prevent heart disease, memory loss, and urinary tract infections.
• Beta-carotene is found in broccoli, carrots, collards, kale, pumpkins, spinach, sweet potatoes, winter squash, apricots, cantaloupe, kiwifruit, mangoes, and papaya. It too fights cancer, as well as DNA damage, night blindness, skin disorders, and infections.
• Looking for defense against cancer, DNA damage, immune dysfunction, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure? Consume more ellagic acid, which is found in blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, currants, kiwifruit, raspberries, red grapes, and strawberries.

Noticing a trend? Most fruits and vegetables contain multiple phytochemicals, and each phytochemical has a host of highly useful health effects. The list could go on and on, but what you should take away is that phytochemicals mean serious business when it comes to health.

So what does all of this mean? At the very least, it should reinforce just how important it is to eat a diet that's high in fruits and vegetables. But variety is just as important: instead of just sticking to the same old produce, try to add some new foods to your grocery cart. Try spaghetti squash one night, or give rutabagas a try. If it's been awhile since you've had beets, pick a few up. More variety means more phytochemicals, and that means a healthier body. Plus, you may just discover a tasty new favourite.