How to reach your fruit & vegetable target

So you already know that fruit and vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals, which explains why they’re an essential part of a healthy diet. But did you also know that they’re a great source of carbs, our brain’s preferred energy source? Plus, the fibre in produce supports heart health and helps combat GI issues (ahem, constipation anyone?). Just a couple more reasons to make sure you’re eating your fruits and veggies.

Experts recommend 5 servings of fruits and veggies per day. If you’re already there, fantastic! If you’re not quite there yet, we’ve got lots of simple ways to help you up your intake. And since we believe in progress, not perfection, your daily target is designed to help you work towards these expert-recommended amounts and your target is met when you’ve tracked 4 servings. As a reminder, a serving is about a 100g of cut-up fruit, avocodo, non-starchy veggies or cooked pulses or 150g of starchy vegetables

Three things to keep in mind:

• Convenience is key. Behaviour change tells us that the easier something is to do, the more likely we are to do it.
  
  

• Don’t forget the wide variety of produce you can choose from. Not a fan of broccoli? No need to force yourself to eat it. Try different fruits and veggies to discover your favourites.
  
  

• Fresh is great, but so is frozen and tinned. Frozen and tinned fruits and veggies retain the same nutritional value as they had when they were fresh. Plus, they last longer, and are often a bit lower in cost.

Freezer aisle finds:

• Frozen fruit and veggies make convenient additions to smoothies. Leave them frozen to add a slushy texture and keep your drink colder.
  
  

• Keep a steady supply of frozen vegetables to add to simmering broth for instant veggie soup. Purée for a sippable meal.

Store bought convenience:

• Buy pre washed greens and slaw mixes for salads and stir fries.
  
  

• Keep washed and pre-cut fruits and vegetables in your fridge for quick and easy access throughout the day.

Mash them:

• Use puréed super ripe bananas to give yogurt, porridge, waffles, and pancakes some no-sugar-added sweet flavour.

• Mash frozen and thawed or fresh raspberries to use as jam on toast or peanut butter sandwiches.

• Make a fruit-packed pancake batter by blending 2 medium ripe bananas with 3 beaten eggs. Cook it in a nonstick frying pan like you would with regular pancake batter.

Prep them:

• Roast or grill a big batch of veggies at the start of the week and keep them in the fridge for an easy side dish or to toss into pastas, fried rice, salads, or wraps.

• Got some fruit on its last legs? Purée it all together and freeze in an ice cube tray to add to smoothies, or melt and stir into yogurt later.

Sneak them in:

• Add an extra handful of garnish for a veggie boost. Think a bit more lettuce, a fistful of rocket on your pizza, or some grated carrot and slices of cucumber in your sandwich.

• Try throwing a handful of vegetables into your scrambled egg or omelette in the morning.

• Consider a 50/50 combo of whole grain or bean-based spaghetti and spiralised courgette, butternut squash, or carrot.