The 5+ A Day Charitable Trust have partnered with Vegetables.co.nz to launch an exciting new initiative encouraging whānau in the Upper North Island to Add One More Vegetable to their daily routine.

This simple message is designed to make adding more servings of New Zealand vegetables an achievable goal for everyone.

5+ A Day Project Manager, Carmel Ireland, says that recent research highlights residents in the Upper North Island were the most likely in New Zealand to eat at least five servings of fruit and vegetables with 46 per cent reporting they achieved this every day.

“This is fantastic, well done everyone,” says Carmel.

While this number is encouraging, another 41 per cent of people only ate three or less servings of vital fresh produce a day. 

“So we still have some work to do,” says Carmel.

It’s easy to Add One More Vegetable with a sliced tomato on avocado toast. Photo: Supplied.

The research commissioned by 5+ A Day demonstrated the significant drive from Kiwi shoppers to select products which positively impact their overall health and wellbeing.

Nearly 80 per cent noted they are motivated to eat more vegetables to improve their diet, while 84 per cent said growers make a positive contribution to the nation by supplying healthy food.

“While we should always try to meet the official health guidelines of eating five or more servings of colourful, fresh vegetables and two servings of fruit every day, even adding one more serving is hugely beneficial,” says Carmel.

Just one in every four Kiwis eat the recommended five or more servings of vegetables each day, with only about 20 per cent of us including vegetables in our first meal of the day.

“A great way to commit to improving your health is to simply Add One More Vegetable to your breakfast each day.

"Try slicing tomato or avocado onto your toast in the morning, or adding spinach to a smoothie, every serving counts towards your wellbeing,” says Carmel.

5+ A Day Trustee and Principal Scientist and Team Leader at Plant and Food Research, Dr Carolyn Lister says the addition of just one extra serving of vegetables each day delivers a range of important benefits.

“Not only does it provide you with vital nutrients, such as vitamin C and dietary fibre, but also greater diversity," says Dr Lister.

"Each vegetable provides a unique combination of nutrients and phytochemicals that are important for health. This diversity is needed to keep everything in your body working, for example your eyes, skin, muscles, joints and bones.

“A diverse diet really is important for healthy eating and reducing the risk of diseases, including heart disease, asthma, osteoporosis and diabetes.

"Studies have reported that the most consistent decrease in disease risk is observed when people increase the diversity of the vegetables they eat,” says Dr Lister.

Ireland says the change of season offers a great opportunity to Add One More Vegetable by choosing from the wide variety of seasonal produce available this month.

“One of my favourite breakfast recipes is a simple frittata. Prepare it ahead of time with plenty of seasonal vegetables, then you can simply slice it and serve hot or cold, or pop in into lunchboxes for a healthy vegetable meal on the go,” says Carmel.

“We’ll be featuring simple ideas to Add One More Vegetable to a variety of dishes on our @5aday social channels throughout the year.

"The 5+ A Day website is also a great starting point for fresh ideas to create exciting new dishes from seasonal vegetables, you can even search by different mealtimes to make it even easier,” she says.

About 5+ A Day 

The 5+ A Day Charitable Trust was established in 2007 to benefit all Kiwis, especially children.

The Trust is committed to increasing the consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables for better health in all New Zealanders.

"We encourage all Kiwis to eat five or more servings of colourful, fresh vegetables and two servings of fruit every day for health and vitality," says Carmel.

"Our key messages align with our Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation’s recommendations."

The 5+ A Day Charitable Trust is funded by voluntary contributions from New Zealand’s pan produce industry.