News: Reduce your risk of death by 42 percent with fruits and veggies

If you don’t eat at least seven servings of veggies and fruit a day, you might want to start.

A new study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, found that the more fruits and veggies we eat, the more our risk of all-cause, cancer and heart disease death is reduced.

‘Compared to eating less than one portion of fruit and vegetables, the risk of death by any cause is reduced by 14 percent by eating one to three portions, 29 percent for three to five portions, 36 percent for five to seven portions and 42 percent for seven or more,’ researchers told University College London.

So which fruits and veggies should you be eating for the best protective effect?

Fresh veggies seemed to be more protective than fruit. In fact, each daily portion reduced overall risk of death by 16 percent.

If that’s not a good reason to eat your veggies, I don’t know what is.

To make sure you’re getting your daily amount, have veggies at every meal. A green smoothie in the morning is a great way to get a big serving of leafy greens. And, try these ways to get your daily intake up. If you’re a dessert person, you’ll love these ways to sneak veggies into baked goods.

Happy veggie eating!

-Katharine Watts, associate web editor

Related:
‘ 5 green smoothie recipes the whole family will love
‘ 7 ways to get your daily fruits and vegetables
‘ 5 ways to sneak veggies into baked goods