You have surely heard it many times: we need to eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and legumes and we have to eat them every day. But why are these foods generally healthier than, let’s say, a steak or a hamburger? It has been proven that people who eat high amounts of fruits, vegetables, and legumes are more likely to have reduced risk of chronic diseases, which includes stroke. It has also been pointed out that a healthy diet can be related to a lower risk of developing some cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and cancers in certain parts of the body.

But what is exactly a healthy diet? First of all, a healthy diet has to include a big variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products. Second, it also has to include lean meats, poultry, fish, legumes, eggs, nuts and seeds. Finally, it needs to balance calorie intake with calorific needs, and that means that it doesn’t have to provide more calories than the amount that your body consumes, which depends highly on physical activity. Another crucial aspect is that a healthy diet needs to be low in saturated fats, cholesterol, salt and added sugars.

As it has been said before, fruits, vegetables, and legumes have to be part of a healthy diet but you need to bear this in mind: if you are planning to increase the intake of these foods, be sure that you eat them in place of less nutritious foods, not in addition to them. In other words, it is not just about eating veggies, but it is also about reducing the intake of less healthy foods.

In addition, fruits, vegetables, and legumes are low in calories because they are high in water content and fibre, so they are excellent options if you are trying to control or lose weight. All in all, these foods need to be part of a healthy diet, so add them to yours in case you haven’t added them yet. Green, orange, red, yellow… Let’s all strive for a colourful diet every day.