We all know that fruit and veg are much healthier than burgers and chips, but have you ever stopped to think about why a healthy diet requires as much as 5 fruit & veg every single day? Do we really need that many? As you learn nutrition courses, there are a number of reasons why the answer to that question is absolute.
Whether you’re planning a career that requires a nutrition course or simply someone who wants to eat more healthily, understanding aspects of a diet like this are vital. We’ll cover how to get that knowledge in the easiest way possible shortly, but let’s first discuss that all-important fruit and veg.
Wide-Ranging Health Benefits Provided
The benefits provided by fruit and veg are wide-ranging and numerous, helping to boost the body’s immune system, reducing cholesterol, providing protection against disease and more. Nutrition courses tell us that the aforementioned five a day should be further broken down into five servings of vegetables and two fruits.
Both fruit and veg are simply packed full of everything our bodies need to be healthy, such as fibre, vitamins and minerals. Then there are age-defying antioxidants, phytochemicals and other nutrients that all the body's systems require to function correctly. It’s the reason why the risk of significant issues like cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes is significantly reduced with sufficient amounts of it in your diet.
A Simple Colour-Coded Approach
If you’ve not yet taken any nutrition courses and you’re wondering about how each type is able to support the body, there’s a very simple colour coding approach that you can keep in mind.
One of the most essential benefits of fruits and vegetables is the number of beneficial antioxidants and phytochemicals they contain. A good blend of all types of veg is recommended, but here’s how each one of the five types breaks down…
- Red Fruit - red fruit & veg like tomatoes, radishes, red apples, strawberries and rhubarb all contain a flavonoid known as kaempferol and ellagic acid, which are known to reduce the risks of heart disease and cancer.
- Blue & Purple - blue/purple types of fruit & veg like asparagus, beetroot, cabbage, blackberries and avocados contain anthocyanins that offer an antibacterial effect and resveratrol, which is believed to protect men against developing prostate cancer.
- Yellow & Orange - nutrition courses also teach you that orange/yellow fruit & veg like carrots, pumpkins, corn and lemons contain carotenoids, with one important one - called Lutein - being able to counteract common causes of blindness like macular degeneration and cataracts.
- Green - next up, we have green fruit & vegs like broccoli, sprouts, green beans and apples, which contain a wide range of carotenoids and flavonoids. They offer the same kind of benefits as those already mentioned, in addition to providing phytochemicals called indoles and saponins that provide an effective barrier against cancer.
- White & Brown - lastly, we have white and brown fruit & vegs like potatoes, onions, parsnips and cauliflower, which provide fibre, potassium, lignans and beta-glucans that help to protect the body against cancer, heart disease, bowel issues and immune problems.
Every single one of these groups provides a boost to the body, with the full range of phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals contributing to health when consumed regularly.
Nutrition Courses - Key to Gaining the Base Knowledge You Need
Good nutrition benefits everyone, whether talking about your own health or that of people you’re serving as a fitness/health professional. We’ve given you lots of useful info here. Still, there’s far more to the subject than this little snippet, and the great news is that improving your knowledge is easier than ever, thanks to flexible CPD-approved nutrition courses from OCA. By studying an online nutrition course, you will have the opportunity to expand your mind in the world of nutrition.
Our courses are video-based, meaning they’re easy to digest and provided in short, bite-sized modules that can be taken during the day when you have a spare moment. If you’d like to see our full range of nutrition courses or any of the training that we offer, covering 20+ industries, simply visit us at www.onlinecoursesaustralia.edu.au.
Your course comes with your own personal mentor - someone you can contact 7 days a week; our training offers a superior learning experience - as you can see by looking at our student study demo. To speak to us directly about your learning needs, you can get in touch either by emailing us at [email protected] or calling our friendly team on 1300 611 404.
