According to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), five daily servings of fruits and vegetables can help ensure short-term nutritional needs but may not be enough to guard against health problems that develop over time. Because these foods are rich in the substances that help reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease and other chronic diseases like diabetes, the Institute urges Americans to become health-savvy and aim for more than five a day - ideally, nine servings.

"Some people might think eating five daily servings of fruits and vegetables is a big challenge," says Melanie Polk, RD, AICR's Director of Nutrition Education. "But it is fairly easy to accomplish once you set a goal and realize a standard serving is just one-half cup for most types of fruits and vegetables. And when the five-a-day goal is reached, it takes only a little more effort to gradually, week by week, add a few more servings."

A 1999 study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) found that the potato - whether fresh, french-fried, or turned into chips - was America's most widely eaten vegetable, with iceberg lettuce in second place, followed by tomatoes, carrots and onions. The deeply-colored green and yellow vegetables rich in disease-fighting substances represented only 0.4 percent of Americans' daily servings.

"According to surveys," says Polk, "many Americans barely eat two or three servings of vegetables and fruits in the course of a day, and that's not nearly enough to satisfy our nutritional needs. Five servings a day is really the minimum. But health experts advise that nine servings should be our goal."

Polk points out that in addition to the powerful anti-cancer substances they contain, called phytochemicals, vegetables and fruits also have the fiber that creates a "full" feeling with a minimum of calories, often far more effectively than starchy, higher calorie foods like potatoes and pasta. For example, one serving of raspberries has twice as much fiber as one serving (one slice) of whole-wheat bread, which is considered a good source of fiber. Polk stresses that the many kinds of phytochemicals found in different vegetables and fruits are the paramount reason for increasing our intake of these foods.

"When it comes to preventing cancer, eating more vegetables is second only to quitting smoking in its importance as a protective measure," says Dr. John D. Potter, M.D., Ph.D., head of the Cancer Prevention Research Program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Potter headed an AICR expert panel of scientists who reviewed more than 4,500 studies on the connection between diet and cancer. They found convincing evidence that diets high in vegetables and/or fruits protect against many different types of cancers.

Polk notes that eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables is important because certain types of phytochemicals are found only in specific kinds of vegetables. For example, carotenoids, a family of antioxidants found in tomatoes, watermelon and sweet potatoes, are believed to enhance immunity and heart health as well as play an anticancer role. One type, lycopene, is linked to reduced risk of prostate and breast cancer, while two others, lutein and zeaxanthin, are believed to protect against macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in people over 65.

Scientists believe phytochemicals work, both independently and with each other, in a synergistic fashion that may boost each other's effectiveness. Some eliminate free radicals that damage DNA, while others help rid the body of carcinogens.

SOURCE:
American Institute of Cancer Research (http://www.aicr.org)