Most of us are aware that nutritionists and many government agencies recommend that we eat at least five portions of different fruit and vegetables each day – some experts are suggesting that we should increase this to nine portions per day. These guidelines are based on the nutritional value of these foods in relation to the known minimal daily requirements of essential vitamins and minerals.

But if five portions of fruit and vegetables do indeed provide sufficient vitamins and minerals then why should the experts now recommend that we eat more than this quantity of fruit and vegetables? I don’t think that there is a precise scientific reason for these new recommendations; rather it it’s a “gut feeling” and the results of studies such as these that confirm how nutrients other than vitamins and minerals help protect us against disease. The Puerto Rico study examined the dietary habits and risk for coronary heart disease of 1200 middle-aged Puerto Rican men over a 10 year period.

The authors found that the risk for coronary heart disease amongst this group was reduced, not by the quantity of fruit and vegetables that they consumed, but rather by the variety of these foods that they ate. Those who ate a greater variety of fruit and vegetables also had lower blood levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) – a biomarker for inflammation that also predicts the risk for heart attack and other diseases. The Spanish study (published in the September 2010 edition of the Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention journal) showed that male smokers who eat more than eight sub-groups of vegetables lowered their risk for lung cancer by 23% compared to those who ate fewer than four sub-groups. Moreover, the risk falls by a further 4% for each unit added to the diet from another sub-group.

These two studies are pretty convincing evidence that plant foods contain a multiplicity of valuable disease-mitigating compounds other than vitamins and minerals. They also show us that, for optimum health, it is not such a good idea to depend only on the “superfood of the month” and a handful of vitamin supplements. Rather we should focus our attention on increasing the diversity of fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices that we eat.

Many of us prefer to eat fresh vegetables and fruits, which they prefer to grow themselves. Because, growing your own fruits and vegetables is cost effective and saves a lot from grocery shopping. On top of all this, you will be able to eat organic food all year around. In this article you will find some tips on how to efficiently grow your own fruits and vegetables. It is always better to plant them in designated areas, where you divide your garden in small section. This way, you can use a lot less water. Because, as you divide your garden into section, there aren’t any other plants to consume the water. You can also grow vegetables and fruits in large container. This is really useful as you can be able to water the roots of the plant directly.

To maintain the consumption of the water, you can use drip irrigation systems, which uses the water efficiently and waters the roots of the fruits and vegetables directly. This way, you grow plants that use minimal amount of water. Also, you can mix the soil with water observant crystals as well. These crystals hold the water and release it gradually as the vegetables require water. Container gardening is always ideal not only to save on water; it also allows you to grow you vegetables and fruits, if you have limited garden space. You can actually place various pots around your garden and start growing different types of vegetables and fruits.