French National Food Health Plan (P.N.N.S.)
The principal objectives of the P.N.N.S. are to contribute to safeguarding public health in France. These include actions through improving our nutrition.
One of the mainly objectives is to increase fruits and vegetables consumption : « eat at least 5 portions of fruits and/or vegetables each day ».
This objective needs achieving major cultural change to the national diet and will require change not so easy to improve.
Here some advices to increase overall consumption of fruits and vegetables.
The target is to promote fruits and vegetables consumption to about 700 to 800 gr a day, with a half-part of raw fruits and vegetables.
Health benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption
Fruits supplied a greater proportion of vitamin C, contributing 44 percent of the national supply. Fruits contribute 12 percent of the folate, a nutrient now recognized for its role in reducing the risk of heart disease.
Fruits such as prunes, raisins, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries are proving to have potent antioxidant capacity. Foods such as fruits and vegetables with antioxidants may help decrease risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer.
People who eat fruit tend to have a lower fat intake than those who do not eat fruit.
In addition, fresh fruits such as apples, bananas, oranges, and peaches are appealing to today's food consumer because they can be eaten just about anywhere or anytime.
Consuming raw fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables contain more vitamins, without sugar-free neither fat added.
Fruits and vegetables frozen or canned remain good nutritional qualities, although some vitamins are destroyed by heat. You must also be attentive to the sugar added, often too high, in some canned fruit (fruit in syrup), that it is better to consume without juice.
Bibliography (in french) :
- La santé vient en mangeant, Le guide alimentaire pour tous
Programme National Nutrition Santé - La santé vient en mangeant et en bougeant, Le guide nutrition des enfants et ados pour tous les parents
Programme National Nutrition Santé
Web Sites (in french) :
- Grand Prix INOVAFEL 2008 - Distinction pour le Concept Perle du Sud Fruit-Box
http://www.miffel.com - Centre de Recherche et d'information Nutritionnelle (C.E.R.I.N.)
http://www.cerin.org - Institut Français pour la Nutrition (I.F.N.)
http://www.ifn.asso.fr - Manger bouger (Programme national nutrition santé, France)
http://www.mangerbouger.fr - Agence fruits et légumes frais (Aprifel)
http://www.aprifel.com - Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitaire des Aliments (A.F.S.S.A.)
http://www.afssa.fr - Institut National de Prévention et d'Education pour la Santé (I.N.P.E.S.)
http://www.inpes.sante.fr - Programme nutrition, prévention et santé des enfants et adolescents en Aquitaine
http://www.nutritionenfantaquitaine.fr - Chambre Syndicale Nationale des Ventes et Services Automatiques
http://www.navsa.fr