How many fruits and vegetables should you eat a day? – GOOD SHAPE

A healthy diet is the basis of the proper functioning of the body. With it, it is possible to avoid malnutrition, as well as prevent a series of chronic diseases – from diabetes mellitus to some types of cancer.

However, we know that, from time to time, it is difficult to resist treats and ultra-processed foods. Could it be that, even on those days, you still consume the right amount of fruits and vegetables?

How many fruits and vegetables should we eat a day?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a balanced diet for adults should contain at least 400g of fruits and vegetables per day — excluding tubers such as potatoes, sweet potatoes and cassava. This equates to about five servings of these foods daily.

But of course this is just the minimum amount indicated by the institution. The more options you can include on the menu (thus avoiding industrialized products), the better! Legumes (such as lentils and beans), nuts and whole grains (such as corn, oats, wheat and brown rice) are also other groups that you should prioritize, according to the WHO.

Other tips for healthier eating

In addition, other habits are essential for a diet to be considered healthy. That’s because there’s no point in meeting the recommended fruit and vegetables if the rest of your diet is rich in sugar and saturated fats. Check out what they are:

sugars

For a person consuming about 2,000 calories a day (and who has a healthy body weight), less than 10% of their total caloric intake should be from free sugars — that is, they should eat no more than 50g of sugars per day, which equals 12 tsp.

But, to ensure additional health benefits, the WHO says that this amount must be reduced to 5% (or 25g, or 6 teaspoons).

Free sugars are all sugars added to foods or beverages by manufacturers, cooks or consumers, as well as sugars naturally present in items such as honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates.

fats

Fats should account for less than 30% of daily calories. The unsaturated type (that is, present in fish, avocado, nuts and olive oil) should be prioritized.

On the other hand, saturated fats (found in meats, butter, palm and coconut oil, cream, cheese, ghee and lard), trans fats (baked and fried foods, snacks and prepackaged foods, frozen pizzas, pies, cookies, crackers, oils and creams), and those found in meat and dairy products from ruminant animals (cow, sheep, goat and camel), should be avoided.

The institution suggests that saturated fats represent 10% of your daily menu, and that trans fats represent only 1%.

Sodium

Finally, try to use less than 5g of salt a day — about a teaspoon. Salt needs to be iodized.