Australians need to up their daily intake of fruit and vegetables, according to a new report released by the CSIRO.
The ‘Fruit, Vegetable and Diet Score’ report found four out of five Australians aren’t eating enough fruit and vegetables.
One in two adults aren’t eating the recommended two servings of fruit, while two out of three aren’t eating the recommended five serves of vegetables each day.
Women fared better than men, with 24 per cent of Australian women meeting the daily recommended intake compared to 15 per cent of men.
Manny Noakes, CSIRO research director, recommends adults aim for at least three serves of different vegetables at dinner to up their intake.
“Many Aussies believe themselves to be healthy, yet this report shows the majority of those surveyed are not getting all the beneficial nutrients from fruit and vegetables needed for a healthy, balanced diet,” Noakes said.
“Increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables we eat is one of the simplest ways Australians can improve their health and wellbeing today as well as combat the growingrates of obesity and lifestyle diseases such as heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and a third of all cancers.
“Diets high in fruit and vegetables have been shown to improve psychological and physical markers of wellbeing. In particular, phytochemicals from fruit and vegetables reduce systemic inflammation which can lead to chronic disease.”
The report, commissioned by grower-owned body Horticulture Innovation Australia, surveyed 145,975 Australians over 18 months.
