I try to eat a good balance of fruits and vegetables. However, for convenience, I would like to know the top five most nutritious fruits and vegetables. That is, if you could only choose five fruits and five vegetables to live on (to compliment a diet including meat) what would they be?

What a great question. There are those who think that five servings of french fries qualifies as their five servings of vegetables for the day. Many folks don't eat the proper amount of fruits and veggies, so if they eat only a limited amount, then the ones they do eat should pack a real nutritional punch.

The following lists can help add nutritional quality to your diet. I looked at variety and quantity of key vitamins and minerals, the amount of fiber, plus beta-carotene and phytochemicals -- those non-nutritive components that have disease-fighting benefits. The description of nutritional benefits highlight their strengths, but this list is not all-inclusive.

Top Five Fruits:

1. Watermelon: Loads of vitamin C and carotenoids, good amount of fiber, and low in calories.
2. Papaya: Loads of vitamin C and carotenoids, great source of potassium and fiber.
3. Orange: Great vitamin C and folate, and plenty of fiber if you eat the whole fruit and not just the juice.
4. Grapefruit (pink or red): Loads of vitamin C and carotenoids, good amount of fiber of the cholesterol lowering type, pectin, plus it contains phytochemicals such as flavonoids, terpenes, and limonoids.
5. Apricots: They are brimming with beta-carotene, have loads of potassium and fiber, and contribute some vitamin C to the diet. Dried apricots don't have the vitamin C, but are a good source of iron. Canned apricots have only half the vitamin C and beta- carotene as fresh.

Top Five Vegetables:

1. Spinach: Great source of beta-carotene, vitamin C, folate, iron, potassium, and calcium.
2. Sweet Potatoes: Loads of potassium, vitamin C, beta-carotene, and fiber.
3. Collard greens: Superb source of beta-carotene, member of the cruciferous family of vegetables, known for their cancer prevention power, loads of vitamin C and folate, good source of calcium and fiber.
4. Carrots: Loads of beta-carotene, and fiber.
5. Sweet Red Pepper: A great source of vitamin C, beta-carotene, and fiber.