Juicy goodness

Pasteurised 100% juices are a delicious way to help meet your daily fruit and vegetable requirements.

Remember being told to “eat your fruits and vegetables”? Well, thanks to advancements in food technology, you can now conveniently drink them up in the form of 100% juice, too.

Whether you eat drink them, fruits and vegetables are essential to proper nutrition and good health. Both are important in their own right, and neither one can substitute the other. This is why we need to eat both fruits and vegetables everyday – and in different colours – to receive the wide range of vitamins, minerals, fibre and phytonutrients that the foods can offer.

Phytonutrients are naturally occurring bio-active compounds. Besides giving off the marvellous hues that make fruits and vegetables look so appetising, most phytonutrients act as antioxidants. They work together with other nutrients to help prevent oxidative damage to body cells.

Some of the more well-known phytonutrients include carotenoids (beta-carotene in mangoes, lutein in spinach and lycopene in tomatoes), flavanoids (resveratrol in grapes, quercetins in apples, and anthocyanins in red dragon fruit), and glucosinolates/indoles (found in cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and kai lan).

Hundreds of other phytonutrients are actively being studied.

It’s good to know that we can all enjoy fruits and vegetables in their unrivalled combination of great taste, nutrition, abundant variety, and various product forms (fresh, frozen, canned, dried and juiced). All these help increase consumption.

Indeed, it is definitely better to eat more fruit and vegetables than less. This is the message of the 5M national campaign, organised by the Health Ministry. In encouraging healthy eating habits, it advocates reducing the intake of fat, sugars and salt while increasing the intake of fruits and vegetables.

5M is based on scientific evidence which shows that increased daily consumption of fruits and vegetables may help reduce risk of many chronic diseases. Going by the Malaysian Dietary Guidelines, as well as prevailing expert opinion elsewhere, people should ideally eat five servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

Examples of one serving of fruit is half a medium-sized guava, a slice of papaya or a slice of watermelon. One serving of vegetables is half a cup of cooked dark green leafy vegetables (spinach or sawi) or half a cup of a root (carrot) or fruit (tomato) vegetable. Choose at least one Vitamin C-rich and one beta carotene-rich fruits or vegetables every day.

All in, five servings really aren’t very much for an entire day. Yet, some people fall short of this amount and are not receiving the full benefit of fruits and vegetables. If you happen to be one of them, you can up your intake by applying these simple tips:

· Have fruits and vegetables as part of every meal. It’s easy if you serve up salads or other fruit and vegetable-rich fare. Try out recipes where vegetables take centrestage.

· Snack on them. Bonus points if you can get some fruits and vegetables should you feel hungry in between meals.

· Go for something new. Variety spices up a healthy diet. So start exploring fruits and vegetables that you do not usually eat.

· Keep fruits in sight, since you’ll be more likely to eat fruits that you can see, whether fresh or dried, whole or sliced. Keep them out on the counter or in the front of the fridge.

· Drink pure fruit and vegetable juices. This is a convenient and fuss-free way to enjoy their natural goodness.

Fruits and vegetables are always best consumed whole but when they are not available, you can down a glass of 100% juice and, in effect, get two (out of your five) servings for the day.

Please be advised, this equation does not apply to “Juice Drinks” or “Fruit Drinks”. As defined by the Malaysian Food Act 1983, these products will only deliver a minimum juice content of 35% and 5%, respectively. Products labelled as “100% Juice”, however, give you pure juice with nothing else added. This is why 100% juice can be considered nutritionally rich and able to offer multiple nutrients (vitamins, minerals and naturally occurring phytonutrients). It also does not contain added sugar, preservatives or colouring. The process of pasteurisation (heating the product to a critical temperature for a specified amount of time before chilling) reduces the number of harmful microorganisms while retaining the fresh taste and nutritional goodness.

Amid the hustle and bustle of every day life, great tasting 100% fruit and vegetable juices never fail to provide a boost of natural goodness. Serve chilled by themselves, or mixed into a refreshing mocktail, smoothie or cold dessert, they’re ideal and convenient for completing a balanced and varied diet for optimal nutrition.

Health enhancers

Ongoing research reaffirms the power of fruits and vegetables in enhancing health. Here’s a quick take:

Heart health: People with high levels of cholesterol in the blood should ensure a daily intake of 20 to 30g of dietary fibre to improve their condition. This target can be achieved by eating three servings of vegetables, two servings of fruits and one serving of whole grain products.

Blood pressure: Even if on medication, people with high blood pressure are advised to continue eating diets rich in fruits and vegetables, and low in saturated and total fat.

Cancer: Certain phytonutrients (such as flavonoids and lycopene) are compounds that act as antioxidants which may help reduce the risk of developing some cancers.

Gastrointestinal health: The fibre in fruits and vegetables absorbs water and expands, like a sponge, as it passes through the intestines. This help promotes regular bowel movement, thereby reducing the risk of constipation.

Vision: Besides the well-known benefit of carrots in aiding night vision, fruits and vegetables also help reduce the risk of two common ageing-related eye diseases – cataract (gradual clouding of the lens) and macular degeneration (cumulative damage to the macula, the centre of the retina). Dark green leafy vegetables, such as spinach and kale, also contain pigments that appear to be able to snuff out free radicals before they can harm the eye’s sensitive tissues.

Increased intake of a good variety of fruits and vegetables go a long way in keeping us healthy and well. So, get their full benefit by making these foods, in whole and in the form of 100% juice, a part of your daily diet.

- THE STAR