Fruit and vegetables have been shown to possess numerous health effects and current recommendations are to consume a diet high in fruit and vegetables. Both foods are healthy, but with regard to the overall benefits, vegetables have a significant advantage over fruit when considering the foods as a whole. Both fruit and vegetables are high in a number of nutrients that may confer health benefits and of these perhaps the high fibre content and the high antioxidant content are the most important from a health perspective. However, fruit is generally high in sugar, and in this regard vegetables hold a significant advantage. Eating high amounts of vegetables therefore provides all of the benefits of consuming fruit, but at the same time does not increase the sugar intake of the individual to the same degree. The high sugar content of fruit is one of the reasons that the taste of fruits is perhaps more readily appreciated, particularly by children, and in this regard fruit can hold an advantage because it is easier to persuade people to eat fruit, and for the benefits to be apparent, the food must be consumed. 

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