To coincide with National Nutrition Week (October 15-21) the Heart Foundation is reminding Australian families to ‘Try for 5’.
Download the Budget Family Recipe Book
With the cost of rising grocery bills, the Heart Foundation’s free-to-download Budget Family Recipe Book is full of ideas to help families cook affordable and healthy versions of popular meals, with extra vegetables added for good measure.
“Using seasonal produce is key to affordability, but many of the hero ingredients in our recipe book can be substituted for frozen or canned varieties. [This allows] families to take advantage of supermarket specials without compromising nutritional value,” Ms O’Hanlon said.
Heart Foundation’s top picks for veggie-focused meals in the Budget Family Recipe Book
- Vegetarian lasagne
- Easy chicken nasi goreng
- Mexican vegetarian pizza
- Vegi-ful tuna pasta bake
- Loaded Veggie Shepherds Pie
Why is it important to eat 5 vegetables?
Try for 5 is an annual campaign led by Nutrition Australia. It encourages Australians to increase their vegetable intake to the recommended five servings per day.
The Heart Foundation continues to be concerned about the proportion of Australian adults not meeting the recommended intake for veggies. This has increased over the past two decades to 92 per cent.
In addition to this, dairy and fruit are being consumed in consistently smaller than recommended amounts. While over one-third (35 per cent) of energy is from discretionary foods (such as cakes, ice cream, sausages, hamburgers, pizza and alcoholic drinks).
Heart Foundation Senior Dietitian Jemma O’Hanlon said poor diet is a leading contributor to preventable heart disease.
“Including extra veggies in your diet daily will help to build healthy habits for you and your loved ones, reducing the risk of a heart attack or stroke in the future,” Ms O’Hanlon said.
“It’s easier than you think to meet your daily five serves of veggies. They can feature as a snack, as a side dish to boost or complement your intake at main meals, or be the star of the main meal.”
Nutrition Australia CEO Lucinda Hancock said vegetables are at the centre of healthy eating and are a critical part of diets for people of all ages.
“They can safeguard us from chronic health conditions – such as diabetes, stroke, heart disease and obesity, but we still don’t eat as many as we should,” she said.
National Nutrition Week
For further information on the Try for 5 campaign, visit www.tryfor5.org.au/
About the Heart Foundation
The Heart Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to fighting the single biggest killer of Australians – heart disease. For 60 years, it has led the battle to save lives and improve the heart health of all Australians. Its sights are set on a world where people don’t suffer or die prematurely because of heart disease.
Find out your risk of heart attack or stroke by using our Heart Age Calculator. To find out about the Heart Foundation’s research program or to make a donation, visit www.heartfoundation.org.au