Fruit and vegetables 'offer the best chance of optimum nutrition'

Those who are hoping to receive optimum levels of nutrition from the food they eat would be wise to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, one expert has stated.

Liz O'Neill, head of communications at the Vegetarian Society, says: "Everyone should focus on eating a varied diet with plenty of different vegetables, fruits, grains, pulses and other kinds of food."

"It's all about balance and focusing on the specific nutritional qualities of a single foodstuff is something of a distraction."

She goes on to add that many experts recommend that a person will see the best chances of achieving optimum nutrition by eating a wide range of fruit and vegetables.

Ms O'Neill's comments come in response to a new report by Amway Global which suggests that swapping strawberries for raspberries and kale for spinach can boost consumers' intake of phytonutrients, which may help to decrease a person's chances of developing cancer, heart disease or diabetes.

The report cites a study presented at the Experimental Biology Meeting in Anaheim, California, which suggests the health benefits from phytonutrients come from pigments found in fruits and vegetables that are vibrantly coloured.

According to an NHS report Statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet, in 2008, just 25 per cent of men and 28 per cent of women in the UK were meeting the UK-recommended five portions of fruit or vegetables per day guidelines.

The report found that during 2008, purchases of fresh fruit fell by 7.7 per cent, while 9.6 per cent less green vegetables were bought than in the previous year.

Written by Elizabeth Marks