Zucchini, but also spinach, red radicchio, rocket and fennel, and fruit. Vegetables and fruits that are good for the heart and lungs. “The ideal daily menu cannot forget five portions of fruit and vegetables. Not only to protect the body from cancer but also, and is the result of an American research just published, to ensure heart and lung health – he stresses on ‘ Messaggero ‘Antonio G. Rebuzzi, professor of Cardiology at the Catholic University of Rome – Fruits and vegetables are the basis of numerous diets, first of all the Mediterranean one, whose importance in the reduction of cardiovascular diseases has been amply demonstrated through numerous studies . Despite this, only one in ten adults eats enough fruit or vegetables according to data from the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And in countries like ours, the situation, although better, is certainly not optimal. ” Rebuzzi explains that “in the latest issue of the scientific journal Circulation, Dong D. Wang and his team from the Department of Nutrition of the Harvard Medical School in Boston (USA), published a research”, having “analyzed the data of two others. studies, the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, for a total of over 100,000 adults followed up to age 30. The results of another 26 researches carried out on almost 2 million subjects of 29 were collected and analyzed Countries “. And “here is the ideal mix. The works suggest that in adults who eat 5 portions a day of fruit and vegetables, compared to those who eat 2, the risk of mortality both general and from cardiovascular causes or from cancer is reduced in variable percentages from 10% to 13%. The reduction in mortality from lung causes reaches as much as 35%. The best combination would be two portions of fruit and three of vegetables. The researchers, however, remember that increasing the portions beyond five per day does not confer any advantage in terms of survival “.” In particular for cardiovascular risk, it is known that fruit and vegetables are among the major sources of potassium. And potassium, or more properly a high potassium / sodium ratio, is associated with a lowering of blood pressure . In addition, other substances present in fruits and vegetables such as magnesium, fiber and polyphenols can act together in delaying the progression of arteriosclerosis, reducing to induce platelet aggregation and also to modulate the lipid profile thus helping to reduce pressure. Furthermore, we must not forget – underlines Rebuzzi – that fibers are an important intestinal lubricant. And gut health is associated with the state of the microbiota that has recently been seen to be involved in immune processes and the metabolism of various internal organs including the lungs and cardiovascular system. The ideal, therefore, would be three portions of vegetables (better fresh) for both lunch and dinner. Spinach, red radicchio, mushrooms, zucchini, rocket, fennel are good while fruit between meals is preferred such as kiwi, mandarins, apricots, cherries, apples, pineapples with the exception of too sugary fruits (grapes, figs) for those who are overweight or diabetic “.