No, I’m not talking about the 5:2 diet, I’m referring to eating your daily fruits and vegetables of course! It is well understood that consuming plenty of vegetables and fruits is essential for good health. But exactly how much should we be having? Recommended amounts can vary slightly depending on your age, gender and physical activity level but as a general guide, it is recommended that all adults have 5 serves of vegetables and 2 serves of fruit every day.
Despite these recommendations, only 5.5% of the Australian adult population meets these guidelines according to the Australian Health Survey. That means that a whopping 94.5% of the Australian population do not eat enough fruits and vegetables! We are always concerned about what we shouldn’t eat, too many times I’ve heard “I can’t eat that because…” or “I’m cutting this and that out of my diet because…”. I urge you to try and shift your focus away from eating less of this, that or the other and instead concentrate on what you need to be eating more of…fruits and vegetables!
So what exactly is a serve of fruits and vegetables? The images below outline various single serves of fruits and vegetables:
Click on image to enlarge
Click on image to enlarge
Have a go at working out how many serves of vegetables and fruits you have on a typical day, you may have your 2 serves of fruits down-pat but I wouldn’t be surprised if you don’t have your five serves of veggies…I myself find this difficult to achieve! Many people find it difficult to get their 5 & 2 everyday and find it a little overwhelming. If you are needing assistance with achieving your 5 & 2, or have questions in regards to food and nutrition, book an appointment at Eating 4 Health, we would be delighted to assist you.
In Summary: If you want to provide your body with all of the nutrients that it requires for great health, then my advice to you is to get back to basics…focus on consuming more whole foods including plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and reduce the amount of processed packaged foods in your diet.
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