Fresh fruit and vegetables for good health

A new campaign aimed at encouraging people to eat more fresh fruit and
vegetables is being launched by the WHO and the UN. It's part of their
Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health. This report from Ania
Lichtarowicz.

An unhealthy diet together with little exercise and smoking are the key preventable risks of non-communicable diseases
and it's estimated that low fruit and vegetable intake alone causes more than two and a half million deaths each year.

Eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day ensures an adequate supply of micronutrients like vitamins but it
can also reduce the amount of fatty and salty food we eat which isn't good for us. Evidence is growing about other benefits
of fruit and veg too - they can help prevent heart disease, some types of cancer, the most common form of diabetes and
obesity.

The WHO and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, who are behind the scheme, want to increase consumption in
developing countries - which grow a lot of the global supply of fruit and vegetables - and also hope to encourage it in the
developed world, where the popularity of convenience foods means that many people no longer eat enough fresh
produce.

Ania Lichtarowicz, Health Reporter, BBC, London

key

main, most important

non-communicable diseases

illnesses that are not infectious – not able to be transferred from one person to another

low fruit and vegetable intake

the eating of a small amount of fruit and vegetables – a smaller amount than recommended

micronutrients

small substances that help people to grow and remain healthy – for example, vitamins

veg.

a short form of the word “vegetables”, often heard in informal speech

diabetes

a medical condition in which a person’s body is not able to control the level of sugar in the blood

obesity

a condition in which a person is very fat, very overweight, so that it is dangerous to their health

consumption

the eating or drinking of something. This is a formal word

convenience foods

food that can be cooked quickly without any preparation – for example, tinned, dried or frozen food

produce

food that is grown or farmed, often in large quantities to be sold

Microwaved veg 'loses nutrients'
Vegetables cooked in the microwave may lose ingredients that could help fight cancer.

Don't overcook your broccoli

Broccoli "zapped" in the microwave with a little water lost up to 97% of some of
the antioxidant chemicals it contains, say Portuguese researchers.

By comparison, steamed broccoli lost 11% or fewer of its antioxidants.

Writing in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, experts said that
many nutrients simply dissolved away during the cooking process.

The researchers examined the levels of three major antioxidant groups in broccoli
after cooking.

These chemicals are thought to protect cells against damage which could in
theory increase the change of cancerous changes.

Washed out

Microwaved broccoli lost between 97% and 74% of the three compounds.
One antioxidant was not removed at all during steaming .

Dr Cristina Garcia-Viguera, from the University of Porto in Portugal, said: "Most of

the bioactive compounds are water soluble - during heating they leach in a high
percentage to the cooking water, reducing their nutritional benefits in the
foodstuff.

"Because of this it is recommended to cook vegetables in the minimum amount of

water in order to retain their nutritional benefits."

 I think the important

thing to take from this article
is that when boiling or
microwaving broccoli, it is
important not to over-cook or
over-boil it 
Dr Anne Nugent, British Nutrition
Foundation

Separate research from Finnish researchers suggested many antioxidants are

removed before the produce even left the supermarket shelf.

Blanching of vegetables - momentarily dipping them in boiling liquid - prior to

freezing caused losses of up to a third of their antioxidant content.

Dr Anne Nugent, a nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation, said it

was the presence of water rather than the cooking process in itself which was the
problem.

She said: "It is not the microwaving per se that is causing the antioxidant loss but
the presence of water, and boiling.

"In other words, the antioxidants would also be lost upon boiling rather than
steaming.

"I think the important thing to take from this article is that when boiling or
microwaving broccoli, it is important not to over-cook or over-boil it as this will
result in excess antioxidant loss. "

Steaming is a good option - however, there will always be losses of vitamins and antioxidants
during the storage and processing of all fruits and vegetables, so it is also important to store the
broccoli in a dark airy cupboard rather than in direct sunlight as this will help protect the
antioxidants." 
Notes: