New Zealanders encouraged to eat more fruit and veg this November
By eating more fruit and vegetables nutritionist Bronwen Anderson says you can feel full, satisfied, have loads of variety and can still lose weight. Bronwen says the work of world-leading weight-loss researcher and professor of nutritional sciences at Penn State University, Dr Barbara Rolls, shows the trick to losing weight is to substitute foods into the diet that have a high water content.
“Water-rich foods such as fruit and vegetables not only help control hunger by filling you up, but they also do it with fewer calories,” Bronwen says. “Strategically incorporating fruit and vegetables into your daily diet means you will still eat a satisfying amount of food but fewer calories. Barbara’s work shows people who eat the most fresh fruit and vegetables tend to have the healthiest body weight and gain less weight through their adult years.”
Maintaining a healthy body weight was one of the issues raised at an international obesity conference in Auckland recently. “We need to break the dieting mentality and take personal responsibility for the role we are playing in our children and grandchildren’s future health, and start thinking about our health legacy,” Bronwen says.
The month-long 5+ A Day ‘Add An Extra Serving’ Challenge kicking off on November 1, is urging New Zealanders to add an extra serving of fruit or vegetable to their day, to boost their health and help shrink their waistlines.
The Challenge celebrates 5+ A Day Fruit and Vegetable Month and will be run through the 5+ A Day Facebook page where people will be able to find recipes and tips on how to add an extra serving to their day.
“Few foods offer the multitude of benefits that you get by eating more fruit and vegetables. Studies show that people whose diets include a lot of fruit and vegetables are less likely to develop heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, certain cancers and obesity,” Bronwen says.
Colour is key when buying fruit and vegetables to ensure you are getting the full spectrum of phytochemicals and nutrients that are abundant in fresh produce.
“Eating a rainbow of colour every day is the best thing you can do for your body and overall wellbeing,” says Bronwen. “Red coloured produce like tomatoes, apples and capsicum helps maintain a healthy heart, memory function and urinary tract health. Green produce like kiwifruit, broccoli and spinach helps maintain strong bones and teeth and may protect from certain types of cancer such as mouth, throat and stomach. The best way to shop for fruit and vegetables is to go for variety, colour and freshness.”
For more information:
Shelley Ashdown
Tel: +64 (0)21 912 221
shelley@bloompr.co.nz
www.5aday.co.nz