Dear colleagues and students,We are recommended to consume 2 servings of fruits and 3 servings of vegetables every day. How many facts and myths of consuming fruits and vegetables do you know?Q.: What nutritional values do fruits have?
A.: Fruits have
- Dietary fibre: an essential nutrient to keep our gut healthy;
- Vitamins: rich in ß-carotene (helps maintain good eyesight) and vitamin C (promotes growth and repair of cells and aids wound healing);
- Minerals: rich in potassium which helps stabilize blood pressure;
- Water: have a water content of up to 90% (e.g. watermelons) and they are excellent to quench thirst.
Q.: With the slogan“2 Plus 3 A Day”, would it be all right to skip vegetables at all and have five servings of fruits instead?
A.: Despite the similarity in constituents like minerals, vitamins and dietary fibre, there is a major difference between fruits and vegetables. Although both of them are low in energy, fruit have higher energy content because they contain fructose, the type of sugar naturally found in fruits. If we replace all three servings of vegetables per day with fruits, we will get extra calories per day.Q.: Can I meet the recommendation for fruits by eating durian?
A.: Durian is a fruit. However, it should not be counted towards the 2 servings of fruits a day because of its high fat content. Unlike many other fruits, each 100 grams of durian contains approximately 147 kcal and 5.3 grams of fat. Q.: Are there any other fruits that are rich in fat?
A.: Other than durian, avocado and coconut are also naturally high in fat content and should not be counted towards the “2 servings a day”recommendation. Each 100 grams of avocado has 160 kcal and 15 grams of fat while each 100 grams of coconut meat has 354 kcal and 33 grams of fat. Q.: Is potato a kind of vegetables?
A.: Potato is classified as a root vegetables, but it is not counted as part of the daily 3 or more servings of vegetables, as they are often eaten in replacement of grains and other carbohydrate-rich food during meals, especially in Western diet.
Sources:
Centre for Health Protection, Department of Health, the Government of the Hong Kong S.A.R. https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/static/90028.html
Health Bureau of Government of Macao S.A.R. https://www.ssm.gov.mo/Portal/portal.aspx?lang=pt
If you would like to read more health tips, please visit the website of Office of Health, Safety and Environmental Affairs https://hseo.um.edu.mo/health-tips/
Office of Health, Safety and Environmental Affairs
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