Eating fresh produce has a multitude of health benefits that few people are truly aware of, and if they are, even fewer properly take advantage of it. Eating fresh usually involves including nutrient-dense, healthful foods in your diet from all the major food groups, with whole grains, lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats all being included. Replacing foods that contain added salt, trans fats or sugar is also recommended. Read on to find out more about the unrivalled benefits of eating fresh produce!
Helping your heart
Heart and circulatory diseases are becoming an increasingly worrisome issue for the country, causing a whopping quarter of all deaths in the UK! With the growing high blood pressure problem in this country too, it’s vitally important we make efforts to protect our heart health.
The dietary approach to preventing hypertension and heart disease of this kind is through eating some fantastically healthy foods, such as:
- Eating plenty of fruits, veg, and healthy whole grains
- Choosing low fat or fat free dairy products, poultry, fish, vegetable oils, nuts, beans
- Limiting trans and saturated fat intake, including full fat dairy produce and fatty meat
- Limiting sugary foods and drinks
- Restricting your sodium intake drastically by less than 2,300mg a day and increasing consumption of magnesium, potassium, and calcium
Fighting cancer
Antioxidant rich food can massively reduce the risk for a person in developing certain cancers by protecting the cells in a person’s body from developing damage. Free radical presence in the body can drastically increase the risk of someone developing cancer, but antioxidants can help remove these free radicals and lower the risk of the disease developing.
Fresh produce high in antioxidants include berries (raspberries, blueberries), dark leafy greens, carrots, pumpkins, seeds, and nuts.
Boosting mood
We know now that there is an inextricable relationship between mood and diet. Studies have shown that diets with a high glycaemic load (such as highly processed foods and sugary drinks) may trigger an increase in symptoms of fatigue and depression. Fresh fruit, vegetables, and whole grains have a much lower glycaemic load.
Restoring gut health
The colon is full of the kind of naturally occurring bacteria which effectively regulates digestion and metabolism. A diet that is too low in fibre and higher in fat and sugar can drastically alter the microbiome of the gut, increasing inflammation. However, a diet that is rich in fresh produce such as fruits, veg, whole grains and legumes provide a combination of probiotics and prebiotics that can help good bacteria develop in this part of the body.
Winning over weight loss
Much of the fresh produce we have come to associate with a balanced diet (including beans, fruit, and veg) present lower calories options than the plethora of processed foods that permeates the modern diet. Dietary fibre is particularly important for the management of weight, and plant-based, fresh produce can provide us with plenty of this.
Stronger teeth and bones
A diet rich in magnesium and calcium is vital for strong teeth and bones. Fresh produce rich in calcium includes food such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, tofu and legumes.
If you are looking for a reliable buffet caterer to provide you with delicious and exciting food for your Jubilee party, look no further than Lauren’s Catering.
We are a family run firm and have been catering for the people of Gloucester for over 25 years, so you may well know us already. We are incredibly talented when it comes to cooking up a variety of tasty food. We take pride in delivering a service that leaves our customers feeling best pleased!
Find out more about our buffet catering services here or, discover what else we get up to here at Lauren’s Catering.
