Vegetables and Fruits

Doctors say that everyone should take more vegetables and fruit than rice or wheat.

Rice and wheat contain much carbohydrate which is quite essential for energy. But more of rice and wheat and less of vegetables and fruit is not a balanced diet. Vegetables and fruit contain nutrients like vitamins, calcium, iron, phosphorus, folic acid, iodine, magnesium, zinc etc. Green leafy vegetables contain a lot of nutrients, especially calcium and iron. We should take one type of green leafy vegetable every day. Spinach is quite good for health.

The cereals such as Bengal- gram, beans, black-gram, horse-gram, maize, millet, raga, red- gram etc., contain much protein which is essential for our growth. Iron and calcium contribute to healthy bones. Asafetida relieves gas from the stomach. Urinal, cabbage, carrot and cluster-beans contain fibrous substance which gives a person relief from constipation. Cucumber, horse radish, lady’s finger, potato, tomato, snake-gourd etc. should find a place in our food items often. All the fruits are good for health. Many of us do not have the habit of eating fruit. This is very bad. Taking orange, apple, plantain, grapes etc. will keep us healthy.

It is a habit with youngsters to drink in summer cold drinks. Instead of cold drinks they may take coconut water, buttermilk or milk. There was a legal case some time ago against the manufacturers of the cold drinks. It was alleged that some cold drinks contain a little quantity of pesticide. A little pesticide is added to some cold drinks to give a kick to the persons who drink them. Fruit juices of any fruit like orange, apple, pineapple, pomegranate, grapes, tomato, lemon etc. are quite good for health.

If we change our food habits we can get rid of many diseases by getting the essential nutrients from the food we eat. Youngsters should learn the habit of taking enough vegetables and fruit.

In these days boys and girls like to have junk food now and then. Junk food is described in the dictionary as food of low nutritional value. Boys and girls eat fried chips, cheese balls, ice creams of different varieties, chocolate bars etc. Youngsters habitually eat these things which are not good for health. Eating chocolates often spoils the teeth, it is said. There was a lengthy article in a newspaper advising youngsters not to eat junk food and chocolates. The author of the article has advised the youngsters to eat fruit. In fact at least one kind of fruit should find a place in our food items daily.

Some boys and girls these days say they like only urinal, potato or drumstick. They should take all kinds of vegetables. It is said that the colour of the vegetables denotes their particular nutrient value. The violet or the green colour of urinal denotes a particular nutrient, the green colour of cluster-beans or snake-gourd denotes a particular nutrient. Youngsters should be advised to avoid junk food and take vegetables, fruit and nuts.’