Monday is veggie day!

I love Mondays...

"You what? No-one loves Mondays" I hear you say... Well I do! There is some anticipation in my Monday morning that gives it a little excitement... Our big box of fresh veggies comes on a Monday! I am very partial to a big bowl of veggies and I know that you probably think this is about as normal as loving Mondays but they are very important, not to mention tasty, little things!

A few months ago, my flatmates and I decided that we would invest in a weekly delivery of fresh fruit and veg to make sure we always had some in the house (and so we didn't have to try to remember who owned the mushrooms...). Our fruit & veg box comes from Box Fresh (visit www.boxfresh.com.au) and for as much as a gourmet pizza up the road it keeps the three of us full of fruit and veg for the entire week.

The last National Nutrition Survey (and yes, we are well over due for a new one), suggested that Aussie adults are eating only about half of the recommended amount of fruit and veg. It's definitely a big area that we need to work on.

Our great Box Fresh fruit & veggie box

Why eat your fruit and veg?

By now you've probably heard that you should be eating 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of veg each day, but why? Eating enough and a variety of fruit and veggies has been linked to a number of benefits, these include:

• reducing the risk of certain serious diseases such as heart disease and certain cancers
• helping you manage your weight and reduce your risk of obesity 
• reducing blood pressure and cholesterol levels and improving blood sugar control

Vegies and fruit are packed full of nutrients including fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants without much energy (only about 0-1 calories per gram except for the starchy veggies potato, sweet potato and corn) so they are a must in everyone's daily diet. 

But how much is a serve? 

About the size of the palm of your hand is the easiest way to think a serve of fruit or veg. But if you want to get a little more technical about it - one serve of vegetables is about 75g or:

• 1 cup raw veggies (think salad)

• 1/2 cup cooked veggies (broccoli, peas, beans, corn etc) or legumes (chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans etc)

• 1 medium vegetable (carrot, zucchini, potato - yes potato does count!)

And one serve of fruit is:

• 1 medium-sized piece (an apple, orange, pear or banana)

• 2 small pieces (apricots or plums)

• 1 cup canned or chopped fruit or grapes

• 1/2 cup 100% fruit juice

• 11/2 tablespoons dried fruit 

How do I fit 2 & 5 in each day?

It's not as hard as you think it is, you just have to try to be a little prepared (this is where getting a fruit and veg box comes in handy)... My favourite ways to get 2 & 5 are:

• 1 serve of fruit at breakfast, so you've got one out of the way before you even leave for work in the morning. Add a banana to your cereal or a tablespoon of sultanas to your porridge. If you get breakfast at a cafe on the way to work, throw an apple in your bag to eat on the way there.
• 1 serve (your second) of fruit as a snack. Worried about having squashed bananas in the bottom of your handbag? Try a mini snack pack of sultanas or mixed dried fruit instead. 
• 2 serves of veg at lunch, that way you don't have to try to fit 5 in at dinner. Order salad on your chicken or ham sandwich or pack a mini salad in the morning that you can add a tin of tuna, some nuts and vitaweets to. You can even just throw a tin of four bean mix in your bag to put on a piece of toast...
• 3 serves of veg at dinner - best way to think about this is that half your plate should be veggies (not including potato, sweet potato and corn). 
• Roast, steam, stir-fry, grill or microwave fresh or frozen veggies to your hearts content. Pair them with steak, grilled or baked chicken or a piece of salmon. 
• See how many different colours you are getting on your plate so you are getting lots of different nutrients too. 
• Replace mince with legumes such as kidney beans or lentils - this will make the mince go further and you'll be getting more veggies in too.
• Bake home-made veggie pizzas with a pita bread base, pasta sauce, a mix of whatever veg you have around, fresh basil, a sprinkle of feta and a grating of parmesan.
• Try a Moroccan salad with baby spinach, cucumber, tomatoes, chickpeas, sliced grilled lamb, dukah, and goats cheese.
• Keep warm over winter with a pumpkin, sweet potato and lentil soup
• Throw all of the dying veg from the bottom of the fridge into a big pot, add a jar of passatta and some fresh herbs (try rosemary, oregano, basil and thyme) then use as a topping for pasta, quinoa or cous cous with a little grated vintage cheddar on top.

So tell me - what is your favourite fruit or veg and how to you eat it???

Edward the eggplant from our last veggie box! (we couldn't eat him...)

References:

Australian National Nutrition Survey, 1995.  

Go for 2 & 5, 2012. Visit www.gofor2and5.com.au.