Monday, September 08, 2008

Don’t Forget To Feed Them Fruit


From TODAY, Voices
Monday September 8, 2008

By Dr Bill Maier

“Eat your vegetables!” That’s what my mum used to say, and yours probably did, too. But today, we know that fruits are just as important.

A new study shows that children who eat a diet rich in fruit are less likely to develop some common types of cancer as adults.

Researchers found that adults who ate a lot of fruit when they were children were about 40 per cent less likely to develop cancer in their 60s and 70s.

The risk of cancer appears to be directly linked to the amount of fruit they ate as children. Those who ate fruit just a few times a week as children decreased their risk, but not as much as those who ate fruit every day.

There are a lot of reasons for this dynamic. Fruits are not only high in fibre, but they also contain a high level of antioxidants, like vitamins C and E, and beta carotene – which are all cancer-fighting nutrients.

So, make sure your kids eat their vegetables, but also see that they get a lot of fruit.

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