I ate the recommended number of vegetable serves for one week

It is recommended that women aged 19-50 eat 5 serves of vegetables/beans per day and men aged 19-50 eat 6 serves of vegetables per day.

According to the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (AGHE), a standard serve is:

• 1/2 cup cooked green or orange vegetables (e.g. broccoli, spinach, carrots, pumpkin)

• 1/2 cup cooked dried or canned beans, peas or lentils

• 1 cup sweet corn

• 1/2 medium potato or other starchy vegetables (e.g. sweet potato, taro, cassava)

• 1 medium tomato

Research teaches us that regular and adequate vegetable consumption is important because it positively influences our health and specifically our gastrointestinal health, nutrient absorption, inflammation, blood sugar regulation, bone health, muscle and nerve function, eye health, blood pressure, cholesterol and so much more.

That all sounds fantastic but, for those of us not quite familiar and comfortable with vegetables, and even those of us who are, the recommended number of vegetable serves per day can sound a little…daunting.

I eat vegetables regularly however, I know that I’m not getting the recommended number of daily serves.

So, what does it take for an individual to be able to meet this recommendation?

1 cup of vegetables - broccoli, carrot, snow peas.

Dressed with sesame oil and sesame seeds.

My reflections:

• This was a serious jaw workout.

• Preparing appetising vegetables can take time to plan, buy and prepare.

• Eating five serves of vegetables, seven days a week isn’t cheap.

• A mindset change is needed, prioritising vegetables over other foods.

• Washing, chopping and packaging vegetables the night before became routine.

• Resealable bags and containers are useful.

What I’ll be doing in the future:

• Preparing vegetables the night before.

• Prioritising vegetables at snack times (i.e. MT, AT).

• Steaming, pan-frying and eating raw, to keep things simple and convenient.

Final thought:

My stance is that nutrition is individual and needs to be appropriate, realistic, achievable, maintainable and enjoyable.

As an example, if a person adds one serve of vegetables to their daily intake, this is a big positive, because this is one serve of vegetables they weren’t eating before.

It may not be 5 serves of vegetables but, one is better than none.

I recommend giving it a go, making your own reflections and deciding what is best for you!