To live longer, eat 7+ pieces of fresh fruits or vegetables a day, but not canned or frozen.

People who ate at least 7 portions of fruit and vegetables each day were 42% less likely to die from any cause.

It was shown in a recent European study that followed more than 65 thousands participants over 12 years. People with the highest intakes were also 25% less likely to die from cancer and 31% less likely to die from heart disease. Analyzing studies like this, we need to remember that term “vegetables” usually include non-sweet fruits in botanical sense, like tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, squashes, and many others. See Vegetables, Fruits.

But canned and frozen fruit increased the risk of dying by 17%, and fruit juice was found to have no significant benefit.

The lead author of this study, Dr. Oyinlola Oyebode of department of epidemiology and public health in UCL, said:

“The clear message here is that the more fruit and vegetables you eat, the less likely you are to die at any age. My advice would be however much you are eating now, eat more.”