Eat up your veggies!

October 30, 2019

During the recent National Nutrition Week we were encouraged to eat more veggies. This message comes in the wake of figures that showed that less than 4% of Aussie adults and less than 1% of children are eating their recommended 5 serves of vegetables a day. Why is it so important to eat veggies?

  • Vitamins and minerals in veggies promote healthy teeth and gums
  • Raw veggies, such as carrots and celery, help stimulate saliva, which naturally cleanses our mouths
  • Their low sugar content ensures that your teeth are not over-exposed to the nasty decay-causing substance
  • Antioxidant-rich veggies can help to fight cancer-causing radicals in our bodies

How can you increase your vegetable intake?

  • Eat the whole vegetable – skin, stalk and leaves
  • Use up your ageing veggies that otherwise would be thrown out – use them in stocks, soups and stir-fries
  • Choose ‘ugly’ and ‘imperfect’ veggies at the shop – they are just as nutritious, and often cheaper. Otherwise they end up in landfill!
  • Add them to smoothies together with fruit and berries
  • Have some cut up and ready to go in the fridge for a quick guilt-free snack (e.g. carrots, cucumbers, capsicum sticks)
  • Dice, grate, mash them into your meals – picky kids won’t even know they are hiding in your patties and spaghetti Bolognese sauce!
  • Be adventurous – use them in your desserts, such as pumpkin or sweet potato pie and beetroot chocolate mud cake

So go on, AIM FOR 5 A DAY!