The Importance of Fresh Fruit and Vegetables

You always hear about the importance fresh fruits and vegetables have in a diet. However, most of this information is never elaborated on or isn't explained in detail enough that it will help you understand why it's so important. Just saying or hearing the words "fresh fruits and vegetables" can sound delicious; however, many people don't understand what exactly "fresh" means.
When purchasing produce from the grocery store, we all look for certain things on certain pieces - with apples we look for no bruising and a good, healthy color; tomatoes are often given a squeeze in order to detect firmness; some people even smell fruit in order to get an idea of ripeness. While this is all great in theory, the fact of the matter is that it isn't about squeezing or smelling, it's about the preparation and incorporation of fresh fruits and veggies into your diet.
There are several ways to prepare fruits and vegetables and different ways of consumption mean different benefits. For example, juicing allows you to get pretty much everything out of a fruit or vegetable vitamin-wise; however, you could be peeling away several important aspects of these foods. For example, the skin of an apple or potato has a lot of vitamins and nutrients that our bodies need in order to feel energized throughout the course of the day.
When you boil things like broccoli or cauliflower, you often boil away the nutrients as well. While it's great to first include these ingredients in your diet, you absolutely want to get the most from them. While both fruits and vegetables are best raw, you can also steam vegetables in order to get a little variety in your diet.
The bottom line when it comes to fruits and vegetables is that they provide natural sugars and essential vitamins that you would otherwise have to supplement if you didn't eat them. In addition to this, most fruits and veggies aren't conducive to heavy weight gain, so you won't be looking at a lot of pounds coming to visit either.
While juicing is a great way to incorporate all of your fruits and veggies in your diet, variety is even more important to maintaining the natural inclusion of minerals and vitamins these foods provide for your body. In other words, whenever you alter a food expect to lose something; whether it's a loss of vitamins or taste. While many people prefer to go the low route and choose to use vitamin supplements, it's best to lean on fruits and vegetables for natural relief. For example, think of how oranges contain Vitamin C and how eating one or drinking a glass of orange juice every day can help prevent the common cold.
Fruits and vegetables have the ability to help your body naturally protect itself and boost the strength of your immune system. This can be great in many different aspects, but mostly in the sense that you won't have to seek out help elsewhere - like from supplements.