Dine with Colourful Friends: Dietitians suggest five to 10 servings of fruits, veggies

by Donna Gray
This article first appeared in the Calgary Herald Thursday, March 23, 2006 in section N11 and is re-printed with the permission of Donna Gray, free-lance writer.

It was a wake-up call that Patty Minall would never have expected, even in her wildest imagination.

In 1995, her mother Bea was diagnosed with breast cancer. After going into remission, the cancer reoccurred in other areas of her body and she lost her battle four years later. Four months after her death, her sister Debbie died of a rapid form of pancreatic cancer. Devastated with a double dose of grief, she secretly began wondering if she would be next and how she could prevent it.

"My mother didn't make any radical changes to turn things around. She still continued with her bad health habits, but when my sister was diagnosed, she fought it as long as she could. That was my catalyst for me. I thought, holy smokes, I'm 43 years old, if I don't do something right now, in a year I might not be alive," Minall says.

She proceeded to examine all aspects of her life, including her stress and activity levels, her water intake and especially her eating habits. She discovered she was lacking in nutrition department (especially her fruit and vegetable intake), which could contribute to her health in the future.

"At the time, I didn't understand how food worked. I was motivated by fear, so I started making little changes. But I realized no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get enough fruits and vegetables so I added a concentrated whole-food supplement to my diet. I'm now 48, and with all the changes I've made, I feel better than I did when I was 25," she says.

According to the World Health Organization, fruit and vegetable consumption may reduce the risk of several chronic diseases, including cancers, cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, hypertension and stroke. But ingesting five to 10 serving of fruits and vegetables a day may seem like a lofty goal, especially when our society isn't used to consuming so much of the green stuff.

Most Canadians average three to five servings, but lack the drive to make consuming more a priority, says Kelly Anne Erdman, a nutritional specialist and dietitian in Calgary.

"It's definitely an aggressive goal. Canadians are smart and know that the science is so prevalent, it can't be denied. I think the people are incorporating more into their diet. It's just a change in focus," she says.

Erdman says there are some positive changes among Calgarians, including a greater interest in organic and whole foods, an influx of Asian-inspired foods (which contain lean meats and vegetables) and fruit juice booths in busy malls and downtown areas. And if you think that popping a vitamin pill will make up for what you lack in veggies and fruit, guess again.

"People are putting their heads in the sand, and I can't believe the ignorance to the scientific proof that simply eating foods can reduce cancer. People just think they can pop a vitamin or a pill instead, but it doesn't work that way," she says.

Here are ways you can up your intake of fruits and vegetables:

1. Eliminate the junk food and buy fruits and vegetables that look tasty and tempting. Keep them handy in a bowl, fridge or prepped and ready to go when you travel for work, play or snacking.
2. Budget one third of your grocery money on vegetables. Whole, fresh foods are best, but standard fresh produce, frozen or canned is better than none at all.
3. Invest in the brightest and most colourful vegetables and fruit (such as red peppers, orange carrots, dark, leafy greens), which are the best at fighting off disease.
4. Blend fruit (fresh or frozen) or vegetables into shakes to add an extra kick of vitamins and nutrients.
5. Invest in a juicer. The natural juices of fresh veggies and fruits can be beneficial, and you can use the veggie leftovers for homemade soup.
6. Soup is an excellent way to load up on vegetables. The broth contains nutrients from the foods, so eat that up, too.
7. Eliminate a starchy food (potatoes, pasta, rice) and add a second vegetable to your lunch or dinner instead.
8. Consider drinking V-8 juice instead of fruit juice, which offers more vegetable servings and can be consumed on the go.
9. In terms of replacements and supplements, there is no substitute for fresh, but you can try Juice Plus, ActiveGreens and other vegetable/fruit-based capsules, chewables, powder or gummies in addition to your regular intake.
10. Drink lots of water. All foods need water to distribute the nutrients to the rest of the body.

Some helpful breast cancer awareness sites:

Dr. Christiane Northrup: Breast Health Centre

Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation

BreastCancer.org

You are never to busy to do a Breast Self Exam

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