Try for 5

1 August 2017

Whether they’re fresh, frozen or canned, eating more vegetables is one of the easiest things we can all do for better health and wellbeing!

But only 4% of Australians eat the recommended amount of vegetables each day. This means the average person is only eating half as much as they should! Children aged 2-18 years averaged 1.8 serves per day and less than 1% usually consumed their recommended number of vegetable serves.

Today,

Nutrition Australia is launching its Try for 5 annual campaign to encourage Aussies to increase their vegetable consumption to the recommended 5 serves per day.

All vegetables can be considered to be superfoods as they are naturally packed full of important vitamins and minerals, disease-fighting antioxidants and gut-healthy fibre.

Plus, they taste really good! Eating vegetables each day can help you to maintain a healthy weight, lower cholesterol and blood pressure and protect you against chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer.

What is a serve?

serves of vegetables

Adults should consume 5 serves of vegetables each day in a range of colours and varieties. But what is a serve? Serving sizes are approximately one handful per serve – if you have bigger (or smaller) hands, this means bigger (or smaller) serves. Try to eat 5 serves of different vegetables each day. Serving sizes vary, but as a rule, 75g for most vegetables, and 50g for leafy salad vegetables. For more information about recommended serving sizes for different food groups, visit eatforhealth.gov.au.

(Image courtesy of eatforhealth.gov.au)

Here are our top 5 ways to add more veg to your day

vegetables dandenong market

Add diced veg to scrambled eggs or omelette i.e. capsicum, spring onion, zucchini, mushrooms, spinach or tomato. Serve with rocket or spinach and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Grate a carrot or zucchini, or add some kidney beans or other legumes, into any dish that involves mince, such as pasta sauces, burritos and tacos. The kids won’t even know!
Snack on veggie sticks such as celery, carrots, capsicum or cucumber, which can also be served with hommus, tzatziki or other vegetable-based dips.
For a yummy snack on the go, make some savoury scones or muffins, and include any veggies you have on hand. They can also be frozen and eaten for weeks to come.
Make a green smoothie with spinach, broccoli, cucumber, carrot and ginger. Add vegetables such as avocado, cucumber, lettuce or spinach to fruit smoothies.

What’s in season?

dandenong market produce

October means springtime in Australia and that means lots of vegetables are at their peak and will be in good supply. They will also be cheaper to buy than vegetables that are not in season. The following vegetables are in season in Spring:

Artichokes
Asparagus
Beans
Beetroot
Broccoli
Capsicum
Carrots
Cauliflower
Chillies
Cucumbers
Leeks
Lettuce
Onions
Parsley
Parsnip
Peas
Potatoes
Rhubarb
Silver beet
Spinach
Spring Onion
Squash
Zucchini

More information

Check out Nutrition Australia’s tryfor5.org.au website which is filled with great advice and inspiration for how to get more veg in your life.

To celebrate the launch of Try for 5, Nutrition Australia is giving you the chance to WIN one of 5 Vitamix professional series 750 blenders (competition closes Saturday 28 October)! To go into the draw, just share with us an image or video of how you’re incorporating more vegetables into your daily life! Be sure to tag @NutritionAustralia and use the hashtag #TryFor5 or check out Nutrition Australia on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

About Try for 5

Try for 5 is an annual campaign developed by Nutrition Australia that aims to encourage Australians to increase their vegetable consumption to the recommended five serves per day.

This year’s campaign is being launched during National Nutrition Week (15-21 October) which coincides with the United Nations’ World Food Day on 16 October.

Each year National Nutrition Week raises awareness around the role of food on our health and supports the community to enjoy healthy eating. This year we are encouraging families to find more ways to enjoy vegetables and to eat one extra serving of veg every day.

Thanks to our principle partner Bayer Australia and our other partners and supporters for working with us to encourage Australians to discover more ways to add veg to their day!

nutritionaustralia.org