A study done at the Imperial College of London concluded that "The more vegetables you eat, the less likely you are to die!"

It doesn’t get much clearer than that.

The study showed that eating 10 servings of vegetables (and fruits) per day offered significant protective benefits against disease.

Though this may seem like a lot, spreading your vegetable intake throughout the day will make it easier to meet the quota. All you have to do is aim for 2-3 servings of veggies with each of your big meals, as well as a few servings of snacks in between.

Leafy greens like spinach, kale, and arugula are packed with vitamins but not calories, and can be eaten in unlimited quantities. You should also incorporate mushrooms, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, and other colorful veggies into your diet to make sure you’re getting a wide array of nutrients. Starchy vegetables like potatoes, yams, carrots and beets are healthy sources of carbs and fiber.

If you find that you’re having a hard time getting enough vegetables into your day, you can cheat a little by turning them into nutritious smoothies.

Fruits and berries are important too. Apples, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, bananas, pears, and other delicious fruits are all great by themselves or added to your meals. And don’t worry about their sugar content. The sugar in fruit comes together with water and fiber, so it releases slowly, without spiking your blood sugar levels.

The 2 best times to eat fruit are at breakfast (when your body is craving energy the most) and right after strength training (when the sugars help refill glycogen stores and speed up muscle recovery).

While all fruits and vegetables are healthy, some pack more nutritious punch than others. To find the most nutritionally-dense ones out there, visit FitAFbook.com/veg.

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