Eat more veggies, everyday

Vegetables are a good source of vitamins, minerals, fibre, and phytonutrients (cancer-fighting compounds found in plants), and help to promote good health and prevent disease. Both local and international dietary guidelines recommend that you eat plenty of vegetables every day.

For variety and nutrients, choose a rainbow of veggies

Vegetables have plenty of benefits – they are naturally low in kilojoules and provide plenty of valuable vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin A (protects against infections and is important for eye and skin health), folate (which is needed for producing red blood cells), vitamin C (helps with iron absorption and wound healing, and keeps gums healthy), and potassium (supports a healthy blood pressure), as well as different phytochemicals which help protect against cancer.

Vegetables also contain plenty of fibre, which also help to protect against cancer, improves blood cholesterol levels, protects against heart disease, regulates bowel movements, and helps you to feel full (which in turn helps to prevent unwanted weight gain). When choosing vegetables, choose a rainbow of different colours to ensure that you get a full complement of disease-preventing phytonutrients:

How many vegetables should I eat each day?

In order to prevent lifestyle disorders and vitamin and mineral deficiencies, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that at least 400 grams of a variety of vegetables and whole fruits be eaten each day.

For vegetables specifically, the recommendation is:

• 1 cup of vegetables per day for children aged 2 to 3 years;
• 1 ½ cups of vegetables per day for children aged 4 to 8 years;
• 2 to 3 cups for children and adolescents aged 9 to 18 years and adults.

Tips to up your vegetable intake

• Buy vegetables that are in season as these will cost you less and be tastier.
• Fill your freezer with frozen vegetables that can easily be prepared in the microwave for quick dinners.
• For added convenience, buy vegetables that are pre-washed and cut – these are especially convenient for snacks.
• Make it a goal to include vegetables with most meals.
• Choose a variety of different vegetables to keep things interesting.
• Plan meals around vegetables – pick a vegetable and choose other foods to complement it.
• Thicken stews, soups, and sauces with cooked pureed vegetables, or sneak grated or chopped vegetables into dishes.

References

Naude, C.E. 2013. “Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit every day”: a food-based dietary guideline for South Africa. South African journal of clinical nutrition, 26(3):S46-S56.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services & U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 8th Edition. http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/ Date of access: 22 Jun. 2017.

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). 2017. All about the vegetable group. https://www.choosemyplate.gov/vegetables Date of access: 31 May 2017.

World Health Organization (WHO). 2017. Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption to reduce the risk of noncommunicable diseases. http://www.who.int/elena/titles/fruit_vegetables_ncds/en/ Date of access: 22 Jun. 2017.