Eat Your Fruits And Vegetables, Kids: Here's Why

An apple a day keeps the doctor away... along with other fruits and veggies, of course.

New findings published in the journal Circulation reveal that the way to a healthier heart is through these foods--particularly starting at a young age. The group that consumed the most fruits and vegetables in the study as young adults were 26 percent less likely to have calcified plaque in their arteries 20 years later when compared to other groups, which can cause hardening of the arteries, increasing the risk of heart disease.

Previous studies have shown how good dietary habits started early lin life can affect adults later-on. During the study, researchers collected information on 2,506 study participants who were divided into three groups based on their consumption of fruits and vegetables. Those in the top third ate about seven to nine servings per day as young adults, while the bottom third ate around two to three daily servings, based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet.

"The data suggest dietary patterns higher in fruits and vegetables may be protective with respect to cardiovascular disease," said Alice H. Lichtenstein of Tufts University in Boston, to Reuters via email. She wrote an editorial accompanying the new results. "That does not mean adding fruits and vegetables to a diet high in animal fats and refined carbohydrate will lower risk."

As it stands, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that people eat four servings of vegetables and three servings of fruits a day.

Are you eating enough of them? 

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