Vegetables and fruit stress your body to fight disease

Here's a fun fact.

Vegetables create a low level of stress in our body by exposing us to toxins that spark a beneficial adaptive response, or the creation of disease-fighting antioxidants! This is known as hormesis.

Here’s how hormesis works

Veggies contain phytochemicals – polyphenols, flavonoids, glucosinolates and other antioxidants – that trigger a mild oxidative stress response in our cells
Oxidative stress occurs when there's an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the body's ability to neutralise or repair the damage caused by these ROS
While excessive oxidative stress can contribute to disease and ageing, moderate levels activate cellular defense mechanisms, including the production of antioxidants by our body
This happens through the up regulation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), which plays a crucial role in regulating antioxidant defence mechanisms
As mentioned, activation of such pathways also leads to the increased production of antioxidants by our own body, which also neutralise ROS and repair cell damage

Over time, repeated exposure to low levels of oxidative stress from eating vegetables leads to an adaptive response where cells become more resilient and better equipped to handle future stressors. This is health promoting and can reduce the risk of chronic disease.