Adjust Our Diet 6: Eat More Vegetables and Fruits

When we avoid meat, eggs and dairy products, what are other sources of protein available? Well, natural foods, i.e. vegetables, fruits, grains, seeds and beans. Traditionally, protein consumption focussed on whether or not it is ‘complete’ – containing all essential amino acids in the production of human proteins. Hence, animal proteins were preferred. This perception is now changing.

“Vegetarian forms of protein are being given more attention, especially in terms of being able to feed about 20 times as many people by eating lower on the food chain, and in terms of balancing different plant proteins (e.g., beans and rice; corn and beans) to improve their completeness. In addition, vegetable proteins may contain fewer toxic contaminants such as pesticides that are concentrated in animal tissues, fewer contaminants such as antibiotics, excess fat and hormones, and fewer parasites that affect humans.” (Erasmus 1993) See Erasmus, U. (1993). Fats that Heal Fats that Kills. Burnaby BC: Alive Books.

The consumption of these foods has disease prevention effect. The antioxidant and antiaggregant activity of high levels of catechin found in the plasma of persons consuming fruits, vegetables and wine could partially explain protection against coronary heart disease. Moreover, the role of folic acid found mostly in green vegetables in reducing homocystein levels may suggest another preventive path for cardiovascular disease. Several studies showed that the Mediterranean diet in different populations lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases, decreases cancer rates and affect overall mortality (Bilenko et al. 2005, Panagiotakos, et al. 2005). See Bilenko, N., Fraser, D., Vardi, H., Shai, I. & Shahar, D.R. (2005). ”Mediterranean diet and cardiovascular diseases in an Israeli population”, Preventive Medicine 40: 299-305, www.elsevier.com/locate/ypmed; Panagiotakos, D., Pitsavos C., Matalas, A.L., Chrysohoou, C., & Stefanadis, C. (2005). “Geographical influences on the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and the prevalence of acute coronary syndromes in Greece: the CARDIO2000 study”, International Journal of Cardiology 100: 135-142, www.elsevier.com/locate/ijcard

Consuming more vegetables, fruits, grains, beans and seeds has become a way of life for my family. We ultimately become a vegetarian family. This is regarded a major factor in saving the life of my father-in-law. Taking only vegetables and brown rice for lunch and dinner was difficult initially. We were used to eating chicken, pork, fish and occasionally prawns or crabs. We decided to adopt a phased approach, i.e. letting go of these foods gradually, stage by stage. This approach is practical because we had limited knowledge on the beneficial aspects of plant-based foods and the harmful aspects of animal-based foods.

When we take too much animal protein, our body becomes acidic, diseases develop gradually. To neutralize this acidity, the best way is to eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, preferably organically grown. Vegetables and fruits are balanced food, rich in vitamin B, calcium, fibre and enzymes.

Vitamins and enzymes are important catalysts in digestion and food assimilation. Enzymes are lost in cooking as heat destroys the enzymes. Spinach and cabbage retain only 1/40 of the original food value after cooking (Lai 1993). See Lai, C.N. (1993). The Pursuit of Life. Singapore: Lapis Lazuli Light.

Enzymes can assist in digestion of protein and fat and it also functions as internal cleansing agents. Those with skin problems, acne and diabetes will soon feel the positive effects when more vegetables are consumed. Vegetables and fruits are our fountains of youth. Vegetables and fruits, as anti-oxidants, improve our body’s immune system and the recovery from cancer cells. They will keep many diseases away.

Eating more vegetables and fruits needs to be done with care. In some places in Malaysia, it has been reported that tainted vegetables and fruits come from illegal farms that use unregulated toxic doses of pesticides. If these vegetables and fruits are eaten over a period of time, they can cause liver disease, nerve damage, birth defects and even cancer. The Consumers Association of Penang claimed that five out of 10 cucumbers, brinjals, ladies fingers, chillies and leafy vegetables (kalian, sawi and spinach) contain dangerous amounts of pesticides. Some of these farmers even use pesticides meant for oil palm trees on vegetables to ward off pests to ensure that the produce turn out fresh, green, perfect and shiny (New Straits Times, 2 May 2007).

If you can afford, choose organically grown vegetables and fruits, which are now more available. Our source of vegetables and fruits are obtained from organic shops and even in hyper markets in the urban areas. Even though their prices are relatively higher compared with those in the normal markets, we feel these organic products are worth buying as they have high nutritional value. Their prices may be slightly higher, but if more people buy them and more crops are produced, the prices will drop. In the meantime, we continue to buy vegetables from wet markets. Wild vegetables are preferred in our list of purchase. Some of the vegetables purchased for our home consumption are listed in Table 5.3. The fruits we consume include local fruits (banana, papaya, pineapple, star fruit, rambutan, guava, durian, jackfruit, coconut, mango, duku) and imported fruits (apple, orange, pear).

During my field work, I also purchase petai (Parkia speciosa) fruits from the Orang Asli, the aborigines in Peninsular Malaysia. Petai fruits are grown wild or planted by the Orang Asli in the natural forests. No mineral fertilizer, pesticide and herbicide are applied to the petai trees.

Selected vegetables for our home consumption. See Chia, J.S. (2006). You are What You Eat: Your healthy Lifestyle Guide. Subang Jaya: Pelanduk Publications.
1. Green pea sprouts or tou mio(Pisum sativum): Enzymes aid in digestion; vitamin C enhances immunity; amino acids are important for cell growth; molybdenum helps to detoxify sulphites preservatives
2. Cucumber: Fibres regulate cholesterol level & support bowel regularity; potassium promotes flexibility in muscles & regulates blood pressure; manganese helps to improve digestion & absorption of nutrients
3. Carrot: Antioxidant vitamin A keeps skin, lungs & intestinal tract in order, promotes healthy cell growth; carotenes keep eyes healthy & slow down degeneration; phytonutrient falcarinol provides protection against colon cancer; beta-carotene can be converted into retimoic acid, used to treat cancers
4. Bitter gourd: Fibres aids in lowering of blood cholesterol, reducing risks of heart attack & diabetes; rich in vitamins A & C; vitamin E aids in maintaining youthfulness & proper breathing; vitamin K is required in blood calcium regulation & clotting; potassium, magnesium & fibre regulate blood pressure
5. Spinach, bayam or yin cai: Rich in iron and calcium which help to boost strength; vitamin K maintains bone health; vitamins A & C reduce the amount of free radicals in the body
6. Pumpkin: Vitamin A; rich in carotenoids which are good for eyesight, prevent blindness and have anti-cancer properties; potassium regulates blood pressure

We realize that vegetables and fruits contain substantial quantities of essential nutrients and they are excellent sources of vitamins, minerals and enzymes. The freshly-squeezed juices are packed with enzymes, vitamins C and A, acids (citric, tartaric and malic) and chlorophyll (Chia 2004). Easily digested, they exhibited a cleansing effect on the blood and the digestive tract, thus good health is achieved (Bakru 2001). See Chia, J.S. (2004). What’s in Your Food? Subang Jaya: Pelanduk Publications; Bakru, H. K. (2001). Foods that Heals: the Natural Way to Good Health. New Delhi: Orient Paperbacks.

As a general rule, eating more vegetables and fruits is good. However, over eating of health food may bring other impacts, especially after switching to vegetarian food for a period of time. In 2001, after five years of switching to health food, my body became ‘cool’ for a period of about five months. During this period, I had to wear warm clothes even though it was a sunny day. After realizing that this was caused by over eating of fruits, I reduced daily fruit consumption and avoided eating fruits at night. After three months, the cooling effect of taking too much fresh vegetables and fruits were gone. In the process, I realised that for hardcore meat eaters, taking lots of fruit juices initially is fine. However, when a plant-based diet has been adopted, there is a need to reduce daily juice consumption.