Make Sure You Eat Your Fruits and Veggies!

Are you eating your fruits & veggies? Researchers in Scotland have addtional proof that eating fruits and vegetables is good for you.

When they compared both vegetarians and non-vegetarians, they found that vegetarians have higher levels of salicylic acid in their blood than non-vegetarians. Salicylic acid may sound familiar - it's the active ingredient in asprin, which can also help prevent heart attaches due to it's ability to block blood clot formation. It's also a non-sterodial anti-inflammatory drug that is also present in fruits and vegatables!

What this means is, researchers now believe that the high concentration of salicylic acid in these foods, might help explain why other studies have also revealed low levels of heart disease among people who eat higher quantities of fruits and vegatables.

One thing to keep in mind - if you are a vegatarian, you should also supplement additional vitamin A and iron into your diet. Although many vegatarians do eat extra carrots, sweet potatos, and broccoli to meet their daily vitamin A requirement, your body may not be able to absorb any more than about 50% of vitamin A from these foods. Your body needs vitamin A for reducing the risk of birth defects and guaranteeing optimal vision. Non-vegatarians usually get enough vitamin A and iron in their diet from fish, meats and dairy products. So, if you are a vegatarian, you can make up for these potential deficiencies by eating extra dark-colored fruits and vegatables - and make sure that you get a total of 900 milligrams of vitamin A per day for men, and 700 milligrams per day for men.