Take the pledge to eat more veg

Fiona_BCNA
Fiona_BCNA Member Posts: 75 ✭
in Health and wellbeing

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It is recommended that we eat five serves of vegetables a day, however it can be difficult to do this and most Australians eat only about half the recommended amount. Eating vegetables has enormous health benefits; research shows that people who eat more vegetables as part of an overall healthy diet are more likely to have reduced risk of many chronic diseases. Vegetables provide us with a wide variety of minerals and vitamins that are important for the maintenance of many bodily functions, disease fighting antioxidants and gut friendly fibre.

Next week is National Nutrition Week (16 October - 22 October) and Nutrition Australia is running the Try for 5 challenge.

So why not challenge yourself to try for 5 serves of vegetables everyday for the week. Join the challenge and earn points for every serve you enjoy. You will be supported by daily emails containing delicious recipes, clever ideas and inspiring new ways to add veg to your day. It's a fun and motivating way to boost your nutrition and kick start healthier habits!  To register or for more information visit http://www.nutritionaustralia.org/national/national-nutrition-week/try-5-challenge.  

For more information on why vegetables are food heroes and useful tips, tricks and recipes ideas visit:

  • Eat for health - www.eatforhealth.gov.au
  • Go for 2 and 5 - www.gofor2and5.com.au
  • Better Health Channel - www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au
  • Dietitians Association Australia - www.daa.asn.au
  • Nutrition Australia - www.nutritionaustralia.org

To order or download a copy of BCNA's Healthy eating and breast cancer booklet visit https://www.bcna.org.au/understanding-breast-cancer/resources/order-bcna-information-booklets/ or call 1800 500 258.

Please share with us your tips and tricks on how you include more vegetables in your diet.



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Comments

  • Deanne
    Deanne Member Posts: 2,163 ✭
    It was a challenge for me to increase my vegetable intake at lunchtime. I struggled to move away from sandwiches and rolls which, while they did include some salad vegetables, I knew it was not really enough to qualify as a serve or two. (I was getting a good three servings at dinner each night)

    So, in winter, I started cooking up vegetable soups. I would make enough for a few days at a time so I just had to reheat them most days. Quick, healthy and easy. 

    Now I am finding a new challenge with the weather warming up. I make salads that keep ok for 2 days at a time. Cook an extra serving at dinner time that will provide left over a for a lunch and on the days I am home, I make quick vegetable stir fries. I just need to be organised with the right things in the fridge and pantry!

    Best thing I have started to do is to do my fruit and vege shopping at the local markets on a Saturday morning. Lots of local produce which is so much fresher than at the supermarket. AND much cheaper. Even lots of organic and spray free choices at very reasonable prices.  :)


  • Hopes_and_Dreams
    Hopes_and_Dreams Member Posts: 760 ✭
    Great idea Deanne.  I'm back at work next week and have been wondering about keeping my lunches healthy and interesting.  I also go to the local market on a Saturday morning and end up walking away with much more than planned.  So many fantastic, fresh veges, particularly all the baby varieties.   I can get tired of salads for lunch but love the idea of making vegetable stir fries in the evening and taking that for lunch.   We should share favourite recipes:)

    I also use up my surplus fruit and veges for juices.  Any fruit getting a bit soft gets chopped and put in the freezer - nice and handy for juice or muffins.   Jane :)


  • socoda
    socoda Member Posts: 1,767 ✭
    You could also make a vegetable frittata and have a serve with your salad at lunch, filling and easy to make. :)
  • iserbrown
    iserbrown Member Posts: 5,767 ✭
  • SoldierCrab
    SoldierCrab Member Posts: 3,430 ✭
    I juice vegs and fruits and I bought a dehydrator and I make lots of dried fruits with no added chemicals... our latest is Kiwifruit it is so yummy... we have our own fruit trees and I grow our own veggies.... but buy most of the things I cant grow at our local farmers markets. 
    I make soups and freeze them into portion sizes then once frozen I put into zip lock bags and I always have a vegetable soup to have on hand. we eat a lot of stir fries.  When I make Lasagne I use the pulp from carrot juicing to bulk up the lasagne it always has spinach and veggies thru it also. 
  • Deanne
    Deanne Member Posts: 2,163 ✭
    Now that is what I aspire to @Soldier Crab. I'm pretty hopeless at growing veggies. I can grow cherry tomatoes, shallots, spinach, kale and chard. Oh and I have grown capsicum and chilli successfully.

    That is an excellent idea with the dehydrator. I buy only organic dried fruits (they don't have nitrites or is it nitrates?) but they are terribly expensive. Our neighbours have a dehydrator and make lovely chemical free dried mango from their own mangoes.

    Thanks for all the tips everyone. I have a hubby and 2 daughters with numerous food intolerances and allergies (one anaphylactic to peanuts). Luckily none involve vegetables (that is probably interesting when you think about it!) but it does limit my choices in meal preparation somewhat. I cannot use eggs or dairy in meals that they will also share. But I am pretty used to getting creative. Google is a great help for recipes.

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