The year 2021 has been declared as the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables, by the Unites Nations Food And Agricultural Organisation. Celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar recently took to Instagram to talk about the reasons to have more diversity of local fruits and vegetables in your diet. Apart from helping you weight loss and improving your overall health and immunity, it also helps you with 'Quarantine 15', which refers to the weight that most people gained because of lockdown and COVID-19 restrictions.
Why it is important to eat more fruits and vegetables in 2021
According to Diwekar, our diet diversity, in terms of the number of fruits and vegetables that we eat, really came down. Eating more fruits and vegetables brings diversity in diet, help with weight loss, better skin and hair, and better gut flora.
Also read: Bananas Health Benefits: Know Why Experts Recommend Eating This Fruit Every Day
Here are the fruits that must be a part of your diet this year
- Amla: It is rich in vitamin c and there are multiple ways to include it in your diet. You can make it in the form of a murabba, achaar, chyawanprash or even raw.
- Mulberry (shehtooth): This fruit is rich in flavonols and antioxidants that are beneficial for your health in multiple ways.
- Ber: This fruit is normally given as prasad. It is natively produced in India. It is rich in minerals like zinc, which can build your immunity naturally.
- Nimboli (neem fruit): This fruit was known to be India's ancient food for giving you a boost of immunity. It grows on the neem tree and can be found in several regions across the country. It can be consumed in the form of sherbet or as a tonic, achaar or sabzi. Do consume this at least once a year, says Diwekar.
- Tadgola: It is also known as ice apple. It grows on the palm tree.
Eating lots of fruits and vegetables can facilitate diversity in your diet
Photo Credit: iStock
Also read: Beetroot Health Benefits: Here's How This Root Vegetable Can Help Boost Immunity
Vegetables that need to be a part of your diet in 2021
- Tondli: It is rich B vitamins and fibre. Diwekar says that there's a whole list of benefits of eating this vegetable. It can be especially beneficial for women who experience period problems like headache before periods or discharge in ovulation days. People with migraine pain can also benefit from eating tondli.
- Round kakadi or cucumber: This vegetable is extremely good for gut health. It can be helpful for people who take medicines regularly for issues like blood pressure, diabetes, thyroid or sleeping pills. Your gut health is compromised with such regular intake of medicines and eating more fruits and vegetables can help with this.
- Several types of mirchi: Include several kinds of chillies in your diet. It has several nutrients which can help you digest your food better. There are several ways in which you can include them in your diet.
- Singhada (water chestnut): This vegetable grows in small ponds and lakes. It is excellent to taste and can be consumed in several ways.
- Kand vegetables (suran, sweet potato, arbi, etc): Including these vegetables in the diet can be especially beneficial for people with diabetes, Alzheimer's, memory loss, menopause or perimenopause.
So, if eating well and getting fitter are your goals this year, make sure you include more fruits and vegetables in your diet.
Also read: How Should You Wash Fruits And Vegetables In The Time Of Coronavirus?
(Rujuta Diwekar is a nutritionist based in Mumbai)
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.
