Fruits & Vegetables - Nature's Sports Foods

By Jackie Maurer

Ever heard of the slogan "Eat 5 to 9 a Day"? This public health message encourages everyone to eat 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables (F&V) daily. Are YOU eating 5 to 9 servings of F&V daily? As an active individual, F&V play a critical role in a helping your train and perform your best. Don't believe me, read on.

What's so Great About F&V?
F&V are nutrition power houses. They contain a lot of nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, water, and fiber in each serving without providing a lot of calories. In addition, they contain phytonutrients, or plant nutrients, which appear to play important roles in promoting health and preventing disease. Many F&V come "prepackaged" (bananas, oranges for example) and therefore make great travel sports snacks!

What Can F&V Do For You?
F&V supply the active individual with nutrients they already need to perform their best, including . . .

• CARBOHYDRATES for energy
• PROTEIN for muscle growth and repair
• VITAMINS & MINERALS
  • to help keep the immune system healthy and speed up recovery from illness to injury.
  • to help utilize the energy in foods
  • to provide antioxidants to help combat oxidative stress induced by hard training


• FIBER for weight management and a healthy gut
• FLUID for hydration before, during, and after exercise