- With Mayo Clinic nutritionists
Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
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Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
Katherine Zeratsky and Jennifer Nelson
Jennifer K. Nelson, M.S., R.D., L.D., C.N.S.D.
Jennifer Nelson is your link to a better diet. As specialty editor of the nutrition and healthy eating guide, she plays a vital role in bringing you healthy recipes and meal planning."Nutrition is one way people have direct control over the quality of their lives," she says. "I hope to translate the science of nutrition into ways that people can select and prepare great-tasting foods that help maintain health and treat disease."
A St. Paul, Minn., native, she has been with Mayo Clinic since 1978, and is director of clinical dietetics and an associate professor of nutrition at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.
She leads clinical nutrition efforts for a staff of more than 60 clinical dietitians and nine dietetic technicians and oversees nutrition services, staffing, strategic and financial planning, and quality improvement. Nelson was co-editor of the "Mayo Clinic Diet" and the James Beard Foundation Award-winning "The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook." She has been a contributing author to and reviewer of many other Mayo Clinic books, including "Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight for EveryBody," "The Mayo Clinic Family Health Book" and "The Mayo Clinic/Williams Sonoma Cookbook." She contributes to the strategic direction of the Food & Nutrition Center, which includes creating recipes and menus, reviewing nutrition content of various articles, and providing expert answers to nutrition questions.
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
As a specialty editor of the nutrition and healthy eating guide, Katherine Zeratsky helps you sort through the facts and figures, the fads and the hype to learn more about nutrition and diet.A Marinette, Wis., native, she is certified in dietetics by the state of Minnesota and the American Dietetic Association. She has been with Mayo Clinic since 1999.
She's active in nutrition-related curriculum and course development in wellness nutrition at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and nutrition related to weight management and practical applications of nutrition-related lifestyle changes.
Other areas of interest include food and nutrition for all life stages, active lifestyles and the culinary arts.
She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, served a dietetic internship at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and worked as a registered dietitian and health risk counselor at ThedaCare of Appleton, Wis., before joining the Mayo Clinic staff.
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Nutrition-wise blog
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Aug. 15, 2012
Fruit or vegetable — Do you know the difference?
By Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
According to botanists (those who study plants) a fruit is the part of the plant that develops from a flower. It's also the section of the plant that contains the seeds. The other parts of plants are considered vegetables. These include the stems, leaves and roots — and even the flower bud.
The following are technically fruits: avocado, beans, peapods, corn kernels, cucumbers, grains, nuts, olives peppers, pumpkin, squash, sunflower seeds and tomatoes. Vegetables include celery (stem), lettuce (leaves), cauliflower and broccoli (buds), and beets, carrots and potatoes (roots).
From a culinary standpoint, vegetables are less sweet — or more savory — and served as part of the main dish. Fruits are more sweet and tart and are most often served as a dessert or snack. Both fruits and vegetables can be made into juice for a refreshing beverage. Some fruits are "grains" or "nuts" or "seeds" — and are served accordingly.
Nutritionally speaking, fruits and vegetables are similar. Compared with animal products, they're generally lower in calories and fat, but higher in fiber. Fruits and vegetables also contain health-enhancing plant compounds such as antioxidants. And they're loaded with vitamins and minerals.
One serving (half a cup) of most fruits has a bit more calories than one serving of vegetables. Exceptions would be dense, starchy vegetables such as potatoes or beets.
One thing that is simple to understand about fruit and vegetables is that most people don't eat enough of them. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, you should aim for two or more cups of fruit a day, and two and one-half cups of vegetables. The usual adult eats one cup of fruit and about one and a half cups of vegetables a day.
In 2009 no state met the Healthy People 2010 targets for fruit or vegetable consumption. In fact, there's been a decline in consumption of fruit and vegetables. Between 1999 and 2008, the actual number of servings of fruit and vegetables declined by about 10 percent and 7 percent, respectively.
We also know that not eating enough fruits and vegetable plays a role in cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and diabetes.
Fruit or vegetable — the simple fact is we should eat more of them. However, doing that doesn't seem so simple. Something to chew on. What are your thoughts?
- Jennifer
16 comments posted
May 6, 2013 1:17 p.m.
I would love to see updated statistics on the numbers of this article. Are there any good resources for access to the current figures? Any that are updated om a regular basis?
- Jakeb
April 18, 2013 12:40 a.m.
Very well said!
- Ravi
February 15, 2013 5:14 p.m.
well i think veggies had really got me somewhere cuase if u look at me. it will be like WOW. i lot 35lbs. so GO VEGGIES GO!!! LOL =)
- Sarah=)
February 4, 2013 3:06 p.m.
I had breast cancer last year and currently undergoing chemo. I've had to research so much and I feel so fortunate that whilst I couldn't prevent the cancer due to a lot reasons from not eating right to lack of exercise etc, a change in my diet has made me look good even in chemo such that I hope never to have blood transfusion or be on further medication. Fruits, vegetables, whole grain , cooked food and salt intake in ideal proportions. is the way to go. My only challenge is how to convince my family that this huge change is necessary including chucking d microwave -but it's not impossible. I'm so excited about food now I hope to go to a cookery school at some point - there's always something to learn. There is still hope for long life in good health and prosperity??
- Theodora
January 5, 2013 5:42 p.m.
I totally agree! I lost 23lbs after my third baby, and I did this by eating more fruits, vegetables, lean protein, whole grains whenever possible, healthy oils!
- Jeanette
December 12, 2012 7:12 p.m.
One correction--a potato isn't a root, it's actually a stem
- Steve
December 3, 2012 12:45 p.m.
One thing that is simple to understand about vegetablesvegetables and fruit is that most people don't eat enough of them.The usual adult eats one cup of fruit and about one and a half cups of vegetables a day.In this regard vegetables and fruit is very necessary.
- katrinakief
November 17, 2012 8:59 p.m.
Thanks a lot for explaining in detail all about LDL and HDL and how to stay healthy. and all the food that affects us bad and good.
- Nicotim
October 23, 2012 4:00 p.m.
Jennifer and Katherine, thank you for explaining the differences between what is a fruit and what is a vegetable. This will help me with my new diet. I just recieved my health screening results, and my total cholestrol is high at 258. I am researching the different types of fruits and vegetables that will lower my cholesterol. I thought avacados, corn, and cucumbers were vegetables. Now I know better, Thanks
- Richard
August 24, 2012 1:31 p.m.
Thanks so much. An interesting and very informative article. I'm a nurse, very interested in nutrition. I had no idea grains were considered a fruit!
- Tina
August 22, 2012 4:27 p.m.
I switched to a healthy diet over eight years ago because of high b.p. and cholesterol, and now I eat about ten servings of fruit and vegetables a day. No problem eating that many, and I eat apples for snacks between meals. Despite all that I developed an incurable bone marrow cancer, but I am still eating my healthy stuff and now can't stand the sweet things. I even make my own healthy cookies and of course cook everything from scratch as I have developed a soy allergy and they put soy in everything these days. The trouble is that fruit and vegetables are expensive, which makes it hard for some people to afford all they need.
- Rosemary
August 22, 2012 4:22 p.m.
I don't meet the recommended amounts of fruit and veggies in all of my daily diets. However, some days I go beyond them. Does that help make up for those daily diets?
- Tom
August 22, 2012 11:39 a.m.
I am diabetic type 2 for the last 15 years. Only recently I discovered that fruits, eaten as a dinner, lower my glucose to levels ranging from 100 to 130 measured 2 hours after eating them.To make it tastier, I add a bit of sour cream on top of them. Please recommend it!!!
- José
August 21, 2012 1:04 p.m.
Jennifer, fruits and vegetables are savory, delicious to eat. The meal plan being engaged in by me is almost totally plant based. The exceptions are salmon and tuna (very low sodium). In the past three months the blood pressure has gone down considerably, from 162 systolic to 105 systolic. Oh! it feels so good for the body to function much better.
- Brenda
August 21, 2012 7:12 a.m.
I have recently(last six months)started to eat more fruits and vegies. I developed pancreatitis and had to change my eating habbits. The result has been phenominal. I am no longer taking bloodpressure meds. I no longer need meds. for acid reflux. I am completely med. free. I also have more energy. I have lost weight. It has been a real positive thing in my life.
- Orv
August 16, 2012 2:45 p.m.
I have always been a vegetable and fruit person. I eat meat but not much. As a child I was the thin one and my brother who ate mostly meat was heavy. He's died at age 68 hardening of the arteries and I'm still going strong and healthy at 73. Veggies and fruit are definitely the way to go.
- Bob
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