Fruits and Vegetables – Are You Getting Enough Variety?

It’s easy to get into a dietary rut.

Even when we are trying to get more fruits and vegetables into our diet, we can end up eating and juicing the same limited number of ingredients.

In one survey, half of all fruit consumption was made up of just 6 foods: orange juice, apple juice, bananas, apples, grapes and watermelon.

Half of the vegetable intake was made up of iceberg lettuce, frozen potatoes, potato chips and canned tomatoes.

Why is this important?

Because different foods benefit different body systems, and different foods can even affect different parts of the same system or organ.

Here’s something to blow your mind:

Cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels spouts are associated with a lower risk of colon cancer in the middle and right side of the body.

But other fruits and vegetables like carrots, pumpkins and apples are associated with a lower risk of colon cancer on the left side of the body.

Each fruit and vegetable is a unique package of phytonutrients, and these nutrients bind to specific receptors and proteins in our bodies.

That’s right. Basically, your body has broccoli receptors and apple peel receptors and grape receptors, and on and on.

It turns out that the wider you eat, the better your health. In a study of thousands of men and women, a greater variety of produce was associated with lower incidences of type II diabetes. Just two additional varieties were associated with an 8% reduction in risk!

In another study, a  greater variety of fruits and vegetables – not quantity – was associated with lower inflammation.

Increase Your Fruit and Veg Variety

Even if you try to eat and juice a wide variety of produce, there may be some room for improvement.

Consider the ingredients that you use in your juices. Granted, some produce is better suited for eating whole rather than juicing. But you may be able to diversify more.

in The Complete Juicing Recipe Book I included 50 different fruits and vegetables. While some fruits and vegetables have similarities, each one is still a unique package of nutrition.

In the Juice Powered Life™ Club, members receive a weekly juice menu with 7 different juice recipes each week that utilize 15 to 20 different ingredients, along with whole food plant-based recipes to get more produce into their meals.

Take a few minutes to review your fruit and vegetable consumption, then pick one or two fruits or vegetables to add into your diet this week.

Your body will thank you for it!