Germans eat far fewer fruits and vegetables than their southern European neighbors – and against their better knowledge of the health benefits. Pharmacists are then called upon as advisors and help the “vitamin-unwilling” customers with dietary supplements. Also the nutrition of children and young people is often not optimal, is usually too fat and too sweet. Such eating habits become entrenched over time and can have serious consequences.
Parents as good role models
Whether a child reaches for sweets or fruit depends primarily on the example and behavior of the parents. If parents hardly eat fruits and vegetables, children will not learn to either. To ensure a healthy diet, the main components of food – i.e. carbohydrates, fats and proteins – alone are not enough. The body must also be supplied with vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Although the problem of oversupply rather than deficiency is more prevalent in our country, not everyone takes in sufficient amounts. An unbalanced diet, pregnancy and lactation, growth and competitive sports, but also an unhealthy lifestyle with stress, cigarettes and alcohol increase the vitamin and mineral requirements of the organism.
Fruits and vegetables reduce the risk of disease
There is impressive evidence that frequent consumption of fruits and raw and green vegetables can contribute to a reduction in the risk of cancer (lung, gastric and colon, but also breast and prostate cancer). And the risk of developing high blood pressure and diabetes can also be significantly reduced. Responsible for this beneficial effect are the estimated 10,000 secondary plant constituents – the best known are carotenoids and flavonoids. It is still unclear which of these so-called secondary plant compounds is responsible for the protective effect. In principle, secondary plant compounds can inhibit carcinogenesis at almost any level.
Antioxidants
Oxygen is essential for life, but in its activated forms it also has negative effects on the organism. The body is continuously confronted with free radicals and other pro-oxidants. Very sensitive to oxidation are the unsaturated fatty acids in membranes. But proteins, carbohydrates and nucleic acids are also damaged. After all, five percent of the oxygen processed per minute supplies highly reactive oxygen compounds around the clock as part of the body’s own metabolic processes, e.g. auto-oxidation processes or enzymatic reactions. In addition, environmental stresses (ozone, UV-B rays, car exhaust fumes) also lead to increased levels of reactive oxygen compounds. In order to prevent the dreaded “free radical” diseases, such as arteriosclerosis, rheumatism or cancer, the organism must be supported by a targeted diet and dietary supplements with antioxidant components. Physical activity (popular and high-performance sports) is synonymous with metabolic stress. During sporting activity, significantly more free radicals are produced, which the body can no longer “neutralize”. Especially athletes who exercise more than 15-20 hours per week should change their diet for optimal protection of their body and also take supplements that contain antioxidants.
Antioxidant mechanisms
The body has extensive antioxidant mechanisms to prevent or repair damage. These include enzymes that act as antioxidants, but their activity depends on the supply situation of trace elements such as selenium and zinc. However, they are not sufficient for comprehensive protection. The body therefore depends on the supply of exogenous antioxidants (radical scavengers) from food or specially supplied dietary supplements. The best-known and best-studied antioxidants are vitamins C and E. Certain amino acids (glutamine, cysteine, arginine) and endogenous substances (coenzyme Q10 and glutathione) also have an antioxidant effect, as do the minerals zinc, selenium and copper, as well as manganese, iron and magnesium. In the case of secondary plant constituents – first and foremost carotenoids and polyphenols (flavonoids), the antioxidant effect is even higher than that of vitamins C and E.
What is the optimal diet?
A balanced diet is the best foundation for health.Anyone who makes ample use of the plant-based fitters fruit and vegetables is also effectively arming themselves against free radicals. The daily target is around 600 g of fruit and vegetables, divided into three portions of vegetables and two portions of fruit. A handful of fruit, e.g. an apple or a banana, or fresh vegetables is counted as a serving. For berries or cleaned and chopped vegetables, two handfuls count as a serving.
Five servings of fruits and vegetables a day – what counts?
Not all fruits and vegetables (legumes and potatoes, for example) count. All fruits and vegetables that are allowed fresh or even after preservation (by freezing or drying) as ready-to-eat products are acceptable. Fat content must not exceed 3 grams per 100 grams of food, and sugar content must not exceed 30 percent of the initial food. Only juices with 100 percent fruit content and juice concentrates count.
Healthy eating examples
A healthy breakfast might look like this: In the muesli mixed with low-fat yogurt, fresh wild berries shine as purple, red and blue spots, next to a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. Next to the jam pot with the whole-grain rolls is a cheese platter, richly garnished with green cucumber slices and red tomato quarters. At lunch, things continue just as colorful. Suitable meals include:
- Broccoli casserole
- Onion strudel
- Carrot and white cabbage salad
- Gratinated zucchini
- Stuffed peppers
- Cress soup and other vegetable dishes.
Given the changes in lifestyle and dietary habits, as well as the negative environmental influences to which each of us is exposed on a daily basis, a safe protective effect is not always achievable – at least not through the conventional diet, since it is no longer as rich in vitamins, minerals and trace elements as it was twenty years ago.
Need for antioxidants hardly covered by diet
By many scientists, intake recommendations of antioxidants are given, which can hardly be achieved through a normal diet. For example, to consume one gram of vitamin C per day, one would have to eat 20 to 40 oranges or 50 to 80 apples. An additional supply of dietary supplements is therefore strongly recommended. This applies especially to people in special life situations (adolescents, pregnant and breastfeeding women, athletes, and the elderly and sick).