Im a prettty active and athletic person, but i hardly eat fruit and veg: what risks am i carrying?

Question: Im a prettty active and athletic person, but i hardly eat fruit and veg: what risks am i carrying?
- Keywords:
  advice,
  diet,
  eat,
  food,
  fruit,
  health,
  sport,
  veg
Asked by ayow to Alex, Amy, Andy, Georgia, Ollie on 15 Jun 2011.
- Alex Munro answered on 15 Jun 2011:
  
  Being active is one of the best things you can do for yourself, esp as you get older; many diseases are linked to inactivity; and you also feel so much better the more active you are too!
  
  From a dietary point of view, you’re probably missing out on rather a lot if you’re not eating fruit and veg. First of all, they taste great! And can add so much flavor & variety to your food – I wonder why you hardly eat them?
  
  Secondly, they are full of vitamins, minerals and fibre, which is a really important component in the diet. They all also full of antioxidants which ‘mop up’ reactive oxygen species (or ROS) which are a by-product of our metabolism; In fact, the more you exercise, the more ROS you generate, so the greater the need for antioxidants!
  
  Vitamin C for example is an excellent antioxidant (citrus fruits etc), so is vitamin E (nuts, olives & avocado) and lycopene in tomatoes (cooked tomatoes even better); these complement/add to the antioxidative capacity that the body already has…so you’re even better protected!

Question: Im a prettty active and athletic person, but i hardly eat fruit and veg: what risks am i carrying?