Your health can benefit from eating nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables daily. No single fruit or vegetable provides all of the nutrients you need to be healthy, so be sure to eat a wide variety of produce.
Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables is associated with a decreased risk of certain diseases or health conditions, as stated by Health Canada, Harvard School of Public Health, Canadian Cancer Society, Dietitians of Canada and the Heart and Stroke Foundation. The majority of Canadians do not meet the recommendation of eating 5 to 10 fruits and vegetables per day (1). Yet it is worth the effort to increase your daily intake.
Healthy Eating and Pregnancy
Eat a balanced diet
Good nutrition during pregnancy includes fruits and vegetables as well as other foods rich in folate (2)(3).
Folate is a water-soluble B vitamin (4). The term folate means foliage in Italian reflecting its abundance in leafy plants. Folate is required for the synthesis and maintenance of new cells. Folate is important for all women who may become pregnant, as adequate folate intakes during the time just before and after a woman becomes pregnant, serves to protect against a number of congenital malformations including neural tube defects (NTD) (4). Low intakes of folate may increase the level of the amino acid homocysteine normally found in blood. There is some evidence that an elevated homocysteine level is an independent risk factor for heart disease (4).
Nutrition for a Healthy Pregnancy
National Guidelines for the Childbearing Years - Health Canada
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/prenatal/national_guidelines-
lignes_directrices_nationales-05_e.html
References
- Overview of Canadians Eating Habits 2004
http://www.statcan.ca/english/research/82-620-MIE/82-620-MIE2006002.pdf
- Health Canada
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/basics-base/quantit/index_e.html
- Health Canada
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/choose-choix/advice-conseil/women-femmes_e.html
- Linus Pauling
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/fa