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It’s sobering to think only 7% of adults and 5% of children eat the recommended serves of vegetables each day.
Australia’s leading vegetable growers have joined forces with Nutrition Australia and other health-focused organisations to call on all Australians to ‘get more veg in their life’ by Trying for 5.
Try for 5 is an annual campaign by Nutrition Australia during National Nutrition Week (Oct 10-17) that celebrates vegetables and the important role they can play in our health and wellbeing.
Nutrition Australia and supporting partners have curated a delicious vegetable recipe hub – a collection of over 100 new forward-thinking veg-recipes from well-known culinary identities, recipe developers and vegetable growers.
Nutrition Australia CEO, Lucinda Hancock explains, “Vegetables are at the very center of healthy eating. They can safeguard us from chronic health conditions – such as diabetes, stroke, heart disease and obesity. We know that, but still, we don’t eat enough. Try for 5 is not about scare-mongering people into eating more vegetables. That simply doesn’t work. It’s about providing everyday Australians with the inspiration to think of vegetables in different ways.”
“The last 18 months has highlighted the importance of a vegetable-rich diet for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and improving our mood. AUSVEG is calling on Australian consumers this National Nutrition Week to find creative ways to incorporate more veggies into their daily diets, which will also support local growers who are working tirelessly to supply high quality vegetables from the farm to the dinner tables of millions of Australians,” AUSVEG CEO Michael Coote said.
WA Potatoes Senior Project Manager Georgia Thomas, from Western Australia adds, “We are excited to be part of the Try for 5 campaign and help to bring much-needed encouragement for people to eat more fresh produce.”
“Research shows that potatoes bring so much to the table with potassium, vitamin C, fibre and even antioxidants – especially in coloured skin varieties. As a grower-funded organisation, WA Potatoes showcases the health benefits of potatoes to our WA audience, being a part of Try for 5 we hope to extend this reach and give people around Australia the chance to check out the latest recipes, tips and information we have on our website and social media,” Georgia added.
WA Potatoes joins Velisha Farms, Perfection Fresh, Butler Market Gardens and Sanitarium Health Food Company as sponsors of this important campaign.
Try for 5 is a call for action. Getting more veg in your life can be as simple as:
- Adding an extra handful of veg in your meals
- Trying a new recipe – have a veg only meal once a week
- Snacking smarter with vegetables.
There’s no better time to make a change. The Try for 5 campaign runs fromOctober 10-17, 2021. Nutrition Australia’s social media platforms will feature live cooking sessions with veg ambassadors and growers, delicious daily recipes, dietician Q&A’s and a cook it-shoot it share-it competition.
Check out Try for 5 at www.tryfor5.org.au.
Vegetable intake in Australia
- Only 7% of Australian adults eat the recommended amount of vegetables each day. And only 5% of children aged 2-17 years meet the Australian Dietary Guideline. (Source)
Cooking in Lockdown
- Majority of families have reported eating dinner together each night and 1 in 3 Australians say they are cooking more during lockdown. (Source)
Alcohol consumption in lockdown
- 1 in 5 Australians reported drinking more alcohol during COVID-19, half having an extra 1-2 drinks a week and 28% having an extra 4-5 drinks a week.
Snacking in lockdown:
- 49% of Australians reported in a recent survey that their snack intake had increased during the lockdown
Low craving control predicts increased high energy density food intake during the COVID-19 lockdown: Result replicated in an Australian
Alcohol, tobacco & other drugs in Australia, COVID-19 – Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (aihw.gov.au)
