“Eat your food as a Medicine. Otherwise you have to eat medicines as your food”
Ratan Tata

 

Ratan Tata certainly has a point there! We all agree with him but do we know for sure what we must put on our plate? What we put on your plate is more powerful medicine than anything you will find at the bottom of a pill bottle. Food is the most powerful medicine available to heal chronic disease.

Dietary Requirements as per the Food pyramid as per the Food and Nutrition Guidelines published by Government of India states that the one food that we can eat liberally is green leafy vegetables and fibrous vegetables.

Nutrients that we obtain through our diet have vital effects on physical growth and development, maintenance of normal body function, physical activity and health. Nutritious food is, thus needed to sustain life and activity. Our diet must provide all essential nutrients in the required amounts. Requirements of essential nutrients vary with age, gender, physiological status and physical activity. Dietary intakes lower or higher than the body requirements can lead to undernutrition (deficiency diseases) or overnutrition (diseases of affluence) respectively. Eating too little food during certain significant periods of life such as infancy, childhood, adolescence, pregnancy and lactation and eating too much at any age can lead to harmful consequences. An adequate diet, providing all nutrients, is needed throughout our lives. The nutrients must be obtained through a judicious choice and combination of a variety of foodstuffs from different food groups (Figure 1).

Significance  of  vegetable and fruits in our diet

Vegetables a rich source of micronutrients and macronutrients

Fresh Vegetables and fruits are rich sources of micronutrients and macronutrients .The micronutrients present are minerals (like iron and calcium) and vitamins (like vitamin C, folic acid, B complex vitamins and carotenoids) whereas, the macronutrients present are complex carbohydrates/ fibre.

They contain abundant amounts of iron, calcium, vitamin C, folic acid, carotenoids (precursors of vitamin A) and phytochemicals.

 

NUTRIENTS HOW IT HELPS Deficiency Vegetables that provide  this
iron Iron is an essential element necessary for the formation of hemoglobin, the red pigment present in the red cells of blood.

 

Hemoglobin plays an important role in the transport of oxygen to the tissues.

Reduction in hemoglobin in blood leads to anemia; a condition characterized by paleness and easy fatigue and increased susceptibility to infections. Iron is available in plenty in green leafy vegetables
Vitamin A This fat-soluble vitamin is necessary for clear vision in dim light, and for maintaining the integrity of epithelial tissues.

 

 

In vitamin A deficiency, the white of the eye (conjunctiva) loses its luster and becomes dry, leading to irreversible blindness in young children. Carotenoids are plentiful in fruits and vegetables that are green or deep yellow/orange in colour, such as green leafy vegetables, carrots, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, papaya, mango etc.

 

Vitamin C Vitamin C is an essential nutrient required for healthy bones and teeth.

 

It also promotes iron absorption

Vitamin C deficiency is characterized by weakness, bleeding gums and defective bone growth.

 

 

Vitamin C is abundantly available in fresh amla, citrus fruits, guava, banana and certain vegetables such as tomatoes
Folic acid Folic acid is a hematopoietic vitamin essential for multiplication and maturation of red cells in our body. Its deficiency leads to megaloblastic anemia. Folic acid intake during pregnancy protects the fetus from developing certain congenital defects. It also promotes the birth weight of infants. Folic acid deficiency increases homocysteine levels in blood, thereby increasing the risk for heart disease..

 

Green leafy vegetables, legumes, nuts and liver

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