Healthy Eating

Eat five serves of vegetables and two serves of fruit a day for good health and to reduce your cancer risk

Healthy eating (and regular physical activity) can lower your risk of cancer; can help manage your weight; and help prevent other health problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.

Healthy eating means enjoying vegetables and fruit and cereal foods throughout your day.

Vegetables and fruit 
Cancer Council Tasmania recommends you eat a variety of vegetables and fruits for a good cross section of the substances in plants to protect against cancer of the mouth, pharynx, oesophagus, stomach and bowel, and to prevent other health problems.

We know that vegetables and fruits are nutritious and protective but we are only beginning to discover the many beneficial plant substances that exist.

Enjoy a variety of vegetables such as green leafy vegetables, red, yellow and orange vegetables.

Vegetables from the cabbage family (known as cruciferous vegetables) such as broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts and the onion family such as leeks and chives are also good choices. Enjoy a variety of fruit including red, yellow and orange fruits, citrus fruits and berries.

There are many good reasons to choose vegetables and fruit in season. Seasonal vegetables and fruit are at their peak and are nutritious, full of flavour and economical.

Visit Eat Well Tasmania's What's In Season and find out what's available this month.

What is a serve?
Adults: 
Five serves of vegetables and two serves of fruit a day are recommended.
Children and teenagers: 
(4-7 years) two serves of vegetables and one serve of fruit
(8-11 years) three serves of vegetables and one serve of fruit
(12-18 years) three serves of vegetables and three serves of fruit

Serving examples:
½ cup cooked vegetables
1 cup of salad
1 medium sized piece of fruit e.g. apple, pear, orange, banana
2 small pieces of fruit e.g. apricots, plums, kiwifruit
1 cup fruit salad or canned fruit pieces
½ cup legumes e.g. soy beans, lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans

Tips for increasing daily fruit and vegetable intake 

• shop for fresh vegetables and fruit weekly to ensure you have a fresh supply available
• enjoy fruit as a snack or for dessert
• add fresh or canned fruit as a topping on breakfast cereal
• fill half your dinner plate with vegetable
• include at least three different coloured vegetables with your main meal
• for interest and variety, cook vegetables in different ways eg. oven roasted, grilled or barbeque
• include salad with lunch or choose dishes that include plenty of vegetables
• use frozen, dried or canned vegetables and fruit if fresh is not on hand
• adapt your recipes to include more vegetables (e.g. add carrot, celery and peas to Bolognese sauce)