Wellness Wednesday – The benefits of fruits and vegetables

In the spirit of UNMC’s “High 5” fruit and vegetable challenge, here are Some facts about the benefits of a diet high in fruits and vegetables:

• Those who eat a lot of fruits and vegetables are likely to have reduced risks of chronic disease such as stroke, cardiovascular disease and obesity.
  
• Fruits and vegetables contain essential vitamins, minerals and fiber that help to protect from chronic diseases.
  
• Eating fruits and vegetables of different colors gives people a wide range of valuable nutrients!

A rainbow of choices Although the “High 5” program aims to educate participants about different colors of fruits and vegetables, participants needn’t only eat fruits and vegetables of that week’s designated color.

Adding color to employees’ diets via a vast array of fruits and vegetable’s is the purpose of the ‘High 5’challenge.

The challenge came about as a result of data collected in the Wellstream Health Risk Assessment that showed in medical center employees are interested in improving health by increasing their consumption of fruits and vegetables.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends that Americans eat at least 2.5 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit each day.