2&5 - the foundations of healthy eating

According to the latest Australian census information.....6.1% of Australians met the daily minimum recommendations for fruit and vegetable intake. Which is 2 pieces of fruit, and at least 5 servings of vegetables.

A serving is 1 cup tightly packed raw, or 1/2 cup cooked.

6.1%.

Those 2&5 recommendations aren't the optimal that I would recommend for healing from chronic disease- they are fundamental for basic health. They provide enough fibre, and colourful plant nutrients to help prevent cancer, and many other chronic diseases.

If you are one of the 93.9% of Australians who don't meet your daily 2 and 5... it's a good place to start when looking for solutions to your health issues. Before supplements.

Food really is medicine. Or it can be. Or it can cause disease.

Eating fruit at this time of year is easy- as long as you don't believe it's full of sugar and bad for you. The low carb/ keto fad has people eating so much fat and missing out on basic, healthy fruit. Fruit makes us happy and is a natural food to quell a sweet tooth. But if you are really worried about the sugar- eat berries. Frozen berries will do! Different types.

Eating vegetables is a bit more challenging for people. Here are a few simple ideas:

Have a daily salad- add leafy greens, cucumbers, capsicum, mango, berries, apricots, figs, cabbage, .....2 cups of salad is 2/5 of your veggies right there! Find a dressing recipe you like- I like mango, orange juice and garlic blended together. Or just some lime juice and a splash of honey or maple syrup.

Have your meat/fish/vegan protein with 3 serves of veggies each evening. eg a potato, some steamed broccoli, and some salad.

Make soup regularly, with different vegetables.

Have some vegetables for breakfast- mushrooms, baked beans, a veggie skillet.

Eat carrot sticks while you are preparing dinner. Give raw carrot sticks and snow peas to the kids while they watch TV.

Grow veggies in your garden- it can help with being more interested in them, especially for kids. Homegrown veggies are awesome, taste wonderful, and can be picked fresh.

We often look for fancy supplements and extreme diets to heal, but without some good foundations, the rest won't help much. Or it might in the short term, but in the long term you need the nutrients from fruits and vegetables for healing and good health.

Have you had your 2 & 5 today?