Healthy Fresh Fruit Tips

A nutritious diet should include a good variety of naturally healthy foods, including your fruit basket. These include a range of breads, pastas, lean meats, fruits and vegetables. Eating your morning meal is also an important part of a healthy diet. Keep fats and salt intake low. A good balance between exercise and food intake is important to maintain a healthy body mass.

The Dietary Guidelines for Australian Adults

Nutritious foods including eat plenty of vegetables, legumes and fruits, eat plenty of cereals including breads, rice, pasta and noodles preferably wholegrain, include lean meat, fish, poultry, and/or alternatives such as eggs, legumes and nuts include milk, yoghurts and cheeses and/or choices. Low-fat varieties should be decided on where possible and drink plenty of water.

And care should be taken to:.

limit infused fat and moderate total fat intake.
choose foods low in salt.
limit your alcohol intake if you choose to drink and.
consume only middling amounts of sugars, and foods and drinks including added sugars.

You've heard it before ... Australians just aren't getting enough fruits and vegetables. And as the structure of a healthy diet, consider fruits and vegetables your fountain of youth. Rich in vitamins, nutrients, antioxidants, fiber, and water, it's hard to understand how so many can resist that beautiful nutritional profile. But the hard facts tell us that less than 30 % of us that's seven out of every ten Australians-- are falling short to meet the recommended 5 A Day.

Enter in The 12 Healthy and balanced Habits. We're not asking for a radical change. Just a few small and very simple changes to make you eat better, feel better, and create a general new sense of well-being. Step one: Eat more Fruits & Veggies. Yes, we are actually asking you to eat more of anything. How often do you get to hear that? Here are 12 simple ways to get you eating veggies and fruits today.

Healthy eating includes eating at least five portions, and ideally 7-9 portions, of an assortment of fruit or vegetables each day.  Fruit and vegetables include fresh, frozen, tinned, or dried ranges, and fruit juice. Usually, people who eat lots of fruit and vegetables tend to be more healthy and live longer.

What are the health benefits if I eat enough fruit and vegetables?

You have a lower possibility of developing cardiovascular illness due to 'hardening of the arteries' (atheroma). For example, heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, or a stroke.
You have a lower chance of developing some cancers such as bowel and lung cancer.
You have lesser chance of creating obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Fruit and vegetables also:.
Include lots of fiber which aids to keep your bowels healthy. Problems such as constipation and diverticular disease are less likely to develop.  Contain plenty of vitamins and minerals, which are needed to keeping you healthy.  Are naturally low in fat.  Are filling but are low in calories. So, they are perfect to keep your weight in control.

How do fruit and vegetables stop disease?

Having a low intake of fruit and vegetables is determined to cause about 19 % of cancers of the digestive system, 31 % of heart disease and 11 % of stroke. They are abundant in vitamins and minerals which keep the body healthy. They also have chemicals called antioxidants, such as beta-carotene and vitamin C. These are thought to protect against destructive chemicals that get into the body.

However, the exact way in which they avoid disease is not fully comprehended. Fruit and vegetables also contain fiber. This can help to regulate cholesterol levels and keep blood sugar levels steady. Eating fruit and vegetables can help to replace other foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar, which further helps to reduce our risk of these diet-related diseases.

Why 5 a Day?

Health advertising campaigns often refer to 'Five a Day'. So, why are we encouraged to eat at least five sections of fruit and vegetables each day? The World Health Organization accumulated evidence together. It was found that a minimum of 400 g (about five 80 g portions) were needed to:.

Allow us to fulfill our nutritional requiremements.
Protect us from diseases such as stroke, heart disease, some cancers, type 2 diabetes and obesity.
In fact, five sections of fruit and vegetables each day is the minimum. This quantity is also based on how many portions the nation is likely to be able to attain. So, if it is set too high, the target would be unrealistic. Nevertheless, it appears that the more fruit and vegetables we eat, the greater our protection from diet-related diseases.

What is one part of fruit or vegetables approximately equivalent to?

One large fruit such as an apple, pear, banana, orange, or a large slice of melon or two smaller fruits such as plums, kiwis, satsumas, clementines, etc. Or one cup of small fruits such as grapes, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, etc
 Or two large tablespoons of fruit salad, stewed or canned fruit.
Or one tablespoon of dried fruit.
Or one glass of fresh fruit juice (150 ml).
Or a normal part of any vegetable (about two tablespoons).
Or one dessert bowl of salad.
Or three heaped tablespoons of beans, pulses or lentils.

Note: a 150 ml glass of fruit juice counts as only one of your five a day, even if you have more than one glass. This is because during processing most of the fiber has been removed and the product has a higher sugar content. Some smoothies that are on the market might count as two sections, depending on how they are made and how much fruit is included. To count as two portions, a smoothie must contain at least 150 ml of fruit juice and 80 g of pulped fruit or vegetables.

Beans and pulses also count as a max of one portion each day. This is because they do not contain as many nutrition as other fruit and vegetables.

Some tips on how to increase fruit and vegetables in your diet.

Fruit and vegetables include color, flavor, and texture to any dish. No one fruit or vegetable includes all the nutrients you need, so it is good to have a range and include fruit and vegetables of all different colors. Different colors of fruits mean different combinations of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.  Try some different types which you have not attempted before. The variety of tastes and textures may be unexpected. Juiced frozen, canned, and dried varieties all count. Probably try one new fruit or vegetable each week.

Try adding chopped bananas, apples, or dried fruits to breakfast cereals.
Instead of a fruit yoghurt, have a piece of fruit with a dollop of natural low-fat yoghurt.
Aim to include at least two different vegetables with most main meals.
Add tomato pure and/or tinned chopped tomatoes as a pasta sauce or in casseroles and stews.
Sometimes nutrients are lost or destroyed during cooking. Eat fruit and vegetables raw when possible, and try to avoid over-cooking them.
Try poaching, steaming or microwaving rather than boiling. These methods help to reduce the quantities of nutrients lost or destroyed. If you do boil vegetables, the water may be utilized in stocks, sauces or soups.
Always offer fruit to accompany meals.
How about cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks, dried apricots, or other fruits as part of packed lunches? A banana sandwich is another idea for lunch.
When making sandwiches, try to add in cucumber, tomato, lettuce, avocado or other suitable choices to accompany sandwich fillings.
Bulk out meals with vegetables, beans and pulses. For example, when making a bolognese, add in a few chopped mushrooms, red peppers and some kidney beans. This also helps to make meals go further.
Fruit is great for snacks. Urge children to snack with fruit rather than with sweets

What doesn't count?

Sometimes, we might think something counts as a portion of fruit and vegetables, but we can be mistaken. Here are several common misunderstandings:.

Potatoes, yams, cassava and plantain: these include more starch than anything else, so they don't count as a portion.
Fruit cake/fruit yoghurts: these contain little fruit and also have added sugar, fat and other ingredients. So we should be trying to keeping these to a minimum in the diet.  Fruit-flavoured soft drinks: these usually contain minimal fruit and are high in sugar.  Tomato ketchup, jam and chutneys: these have high salt/sugar content.

How to get at least 'five a day' on a budget.

Getting at least five portions of fruit and vegetables each day doesn't have to be expensive. Some ways to reduce the cost are:.

Make use of local benefit shops or markets. You can often get cheap deals and bargains.
Look out for offers in grocery stores such as 'buy one, get one free'.
Choose loose fruit and vegetables - check the price labels and compare how much they are per kilogram (kg).
Look out for the decreased section in grocery stores. Sometimes you'll find price cuts on fruit and vegetables that are on the shelves for their last day.

Go later in the evening to local stalls and get a bargain on fruit and vegetables that may otherwise go to waste.
Buy in period, as this is when fruit and vegetables tend to be cheaper.
Frozen or dried fruit and vegetables can be cheaper, and you don't need to worry about them going off too quickly.
Tinned fruit and vegetables such as tinned tomatoes, beans, pulses, carrots, sweetcorn and peas are cheap. They can be added to casseroles, stews, soups, bolognese, curries, stir-fries or pasta dishes. Try to avoid those with added salt or sugar.
Fruit and vegetables that are soon to go out of date can be used to make soups. These can then be frozen and eaten later.
Fruit and vegetables are mostly cheaper than meat. So, by adding more fruit and vegetables to meat dishes, you can make them go further.