If you want to improve your health and well-being, one of the best things you can do is eat more fruits and vegetables. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables has been scientifically proven to provide numerous health benefits, such as reducing your risk of several chronic diseases and keeping your body healthy. In this blog post, we will explore some of the reasons why fruits and vegetables are so good for you and how you can include more of them in your Intermittent fasting diet plan Indian diet.

Fruits and vegetables are full of nutrients
One of the main reasons why fruits and vegetables are so beneficial is that they are packed with vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients that your body needs to function properly. For example, fruits and vegetables can provide you with (1) :

- Vitamin C, which supports your immune system, skin health, and wound healing
- Vitamin A, which is essential for your vision, growth, and reproduction
- Fiber, which helps regulate your digestion, blood sugar levels, and cholesterol levels
- Folate, which is important for your DNA synthesis and cell division
- Potassium, which helps maintain your fluid balance, nerve transmission, and muscle contraction

In addition to these nutrients, fruits and vegetables also contain a variety of plant compounds called polyphenols and phytosterols, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These compounds can help protect your cells from damage caused by free radicals, which are unstable molecules that can contribute to aging and disease (2) .

Fruits and vegetables can lower your risk of chronic diseases
Another reason why fruits and vegetables are so beneficial is that they can lower your risk of developing several chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and certain types of cancer. This is partly because of the nutrients and plant compounds they contain, but also because of their effects on other factors that influence your health.

For instance, fruits and vegetables can help you maintain a healthy weight by providing you with fewer calories and more volume than other foods. This can help you feel full and satisfied with less food intake. Moreover, fruits and vegetables can help lower your blood pressure by providing you with potassium, which counteracts the effects of sodium. They can also help lower your cholesterol levels by providing you with fiber, which binds to bile acids in your gut and prevents them from being reabsorbed into your bloodstream (3) .

Furthermore, fruits and vegetables can help prevent or manage type 2 diabetes by providing you with fiber and polyphenols, which can improve your insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism. They can also help reduce inflammation in your body by providing you with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, which can modulate your immune system and prevent excessive or chronic inflammation that can lead to tissue damage (4) .

Finally, fruits and vegetables can help protect you from certain types of cancer by providing you with phytochemicals that can modulate your hormone levels, detoxify carcinogens, inhibit tumor growth, induce apoptosis (cell death), or prevent DNA damage (5) .

Fruits and vegetables can improve your mood and cognition
A third reason why fruits and vegetables are so beneficial is that they can improve your mood and cognition. This is because they can affect your brain chemistry and function in various ways.

For example, fruits and vegetables can provide you with folate, which is involved in the synthesis of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. These neurotransmitters are responsible for regulating your mood,