LOUISVILLE, Ky. — If you don't like eating vegetables, you could miss out on the secret to longevity.
A new study by Harvard University says eating two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables every day is the right mix for longevity.
According to research in the study, certain fruits and vegetables provided the biggest benefits. These include green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale, cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and brussels sprouts, foods rich in beta carotene, and citrus fruits and berries.
They found the least healthful were starchy vegetables such as peas, corn, and potatoes.
The large study was conducted by researchers at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.
They looked at 30 years’ worth of nutrition data from more than 100,000 women and men participating in the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. Researchers also looked at data from 26 other studies that included another 2 million adults worldwide.
What if you eat more than 5-a-day?
Researchers said the study showed that eating more than five servings per day of fruits and vegetables was not linked with additional health benefits.
If you love eating fruits and veggies, it sounds like from the study--less is more.
The study comes the price of groceries is increasing.
Grocery prices increased on average 3.5% over the last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. For a family of four, groceries could cost as much as $500 more per year.
Popular purchases like meat, fruits and canned vegetables saw the biggest jumps.