Fruits and vegetables

Did you know?

Fresh passion fruit is high in beta carotene, potassium, dietary fibre and vitamin C.

News in a hurry

Yes, you’ve heard it all before, but the truth remains: you DO have to eat them if you want to stay healthy!
Fruit and vegetables are packed with goodness and help prevent heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure. They can also protect against cancers of the mouth, larynx, pharynx, esophagus, lung and stomach.
30% of breast cancers could be prevented by making lifestyle changes, including eating a plant-based diet and exercising regularly.
To give yourself a fighting chance against a variety of illnesses, you need to eat a minimum of 3 servings of vegetables and 2 serves of fruit every day.
In New Zealand, 2 out of every 3 of us meet our daily fruit and vege requirements, with more females than males more likely to do so.
Young men are the least likely to eat vegetables, and men under 55 least likely to eat fruit. What’s with that?

Fruit and vegetables are packed with goodness and help prevent heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure. They can also protect against cancers of the mouth, larynx, pharynx, oesophagus, lung and stomach. It is estimated that low fruit and vegetable intake contributed to 1559 deaths in 1997.

Fruit facts	Single serves	Nutrients
help prevent a number of diseases 100% bad-fat free can quench thirst help satisfy sugar cravings make easy, yummy desserts can be cheap good source of vitamins, minerals and fibre great for school lunches and snacks the ultimate ‘fast food’!	1 apple, banana, orange or pear 2 small plums (100g) ½ cup fruit salad, stewed or canned fruit 1 cup dried fruit 4 dried apricots	carbohydrates dietary fibre vitamins, especially A, C and folate minerals: magnesium, potassium.

Fruit facts

Single serves

Nutrients

help prevent a number of diseases
100% bad-fat free
can quench thirst
help satisfy sugar cravings
make easy, yummy desserts
can be cheap
good source of vitamins, minerals and fibre
great for school lunches and snacks
the ultimate ‘fast food’!

1 apple, banana, orange or pear
2 small plums (100g)
½ cup fruit salad, stewed or canned fruit
1 cup dried fruit
4 dried apricots

carbohydrates
dietary fibre
vitamins, especially A, C and folate
minerals: magnesium, potassium.

Vegetable facts	Single serves	Nutrients
help prevent a number of diseases 100% bad-fat free vege juice helps satisfy hunger can be cheap many raw veges are great for school lunches and snacks.	½ cup (75g) cooked vegetables or green leafy vegetables ½ cup salad or mixed vegetables 1 (135g) medium potato, kumara, taro 1 (80g) tomato.	vitamins minerals dietary fibre

Tips

You can take your daily selection from fresh, frozen, canned and dried.
If you’re watching your calorie intake, don’t eat too much dried fruit, and drain syrup from cans.
A good way to get used to eating these amounts is to make a pact with yourself – if it’s fruit you aren’t good at eating, every time you feel hungry, reach for a piece of fruit before going for the biscuits. If it’s veges, try a glass of low sodium vegetable juice first. Chances are you won’t want anything else, and you’ve just got closer to your daily intake!
Stock the house with the types of fruit and veges you know you’ll eat – that way you don’t end up with a bowl of rotting apples when you really prefer canned peaches.
Try buying different types of fruit and veges when they’re on special and see if you like them.
For a hearty, wintry meal make vegetable soup – a great way to up your vege intake, save time and money, and drop some weight!
If you prefer raw veges to cooked, eat them as a snack or just lightly stir-fry them for dinner.
Read the New Zealand Food and Nutrition Guidelines three-day meal plan (pdf, p97) to get you into the swing of eating a balanced diet!

Additional information

The 5+ A Day Challenge is simple - add an extra serving of fresh fruit and vegetables to your day and feel the difference.

The New Zealand Food and Nutrition Guidelines are published by the Ministry of Health.

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Abridged disclaimer (full disclaimer is here): This information is intended solely for New Zealand residents and is of a general nature only and no person should act in reliance on any statement contained in the information provided and at all times should obtain specific advice from a health professional. All rights reserved. © MIMS (NZ) Ltd. This publication is copyright.

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