HealthInfo Piki Te Ora Southern

How to eat more vegetables and fruit

Me pēhea e kai ake ai i ngā huawhenua me ngā huarākau

Eating plenty of vegetables and fruit has been linked to better health – and for good reason. Veggies and fruit (fresh and frozen) are loaded with vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants. These protect against many diseases, including heart disease and some cancers. They are also low in calories, making them a great choice for your waistline.

Eat a rainbow

Choosing a variety of different coloured vegetables and fruit ensures you receive a good range of nutrients.

Red – apples, tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries, red peppers and red potatoes.

Orange or yellow – peaches, nectarines, apricots, oranges, pineapples, pumpkins, carrots, swedes, yellow peppers, golden kumara and sweet corn.

White or brown – bananas, pears, onions, white potatoes, cauliflowers and parsnips.

Green – kiwifruit, green grapes, avocados, broccoli, leeks, peas, cabbages, brussels sprouts, lettuces, spinach, silverbeet, green beans and green peppers.

Purple or blue – blackberries, blackcurrants, blueberries, raisins, currants, prunes, beetroot, eggplant and purple-red cabbage.

Have plenty of vegetables and fruit every day

Have 5 or more servings of colourful vegetables and 2 or more servings of fruit every day.

A serving is about a handful, and we all use our own hands. So, a serving for your tamaiti (child) will be smaller than yours.

How to add more fruit and vegetables into your diet

Include some vegetables or fruit in each meal or snack.

Breakfast

• Add chopped fresh fruit such as apples, pears, bananas, kiwifruit or canned or stewed fruit to your favourite cereal.
• Try adding half a cup of chopped fresh fruit such as banana or kiwifruit or a couple of tablespoons of dried fruit to porridge.
• Make a fruit smoothie by blending together milk, yoghurt and fruit such as bananas, berries, apricots or peaches. Using frozen fruit will make your smoothie creamy and extra cold.
• Try mashed avocado on toast. Top with sliced tomato and a sprinkle of salt and ground pepper.

Lunch or dinner

• Make vegetable soups with generous servings of your favourite vegetables.
• Serve cooked frozen vegetables with ready-prepared meals such as shepherd's pie or fish pie.
• Add extra vegetables to mince dishes, quiche, macaroni cheese, frittata, pasta sauces and meat and chicken stir-fries. Try adding one or more of the following: mushrooms, carrots, celery, courgettes, leeks, broccoli, green beans and red or green peppers.
• Include root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, turnips, potatoes or kumara in winter stews and casseroles.
• Add finely sliced vegetables such as mushrooms, red or green peppers, tomatoes, spring onions, red onions or courgettes to omelettes or on top of pizza.
• Add sliced fresh fruit such as strawberries, kiwifruit, apricots, nectarines, peaches or orange segments to lettuce salads.

Snacks

• Fresh fruit.
• A fruit smoothie made from milk, yoghurt and fresh or frozen fruit.
• Add vegetables and fruit to sandwich fillings:
  • salad vegetables: tomato, lettuce, beetroot, red, green or yellow pepper, cucumber, avocado and grated carrot
  • chopped dates, sultanas or raisins with peanut butter
  • banana or grated apple with cinnamon and a little honey
  • cottage cheese, grated apple, chopped dates and celery.
• Add vegetables or fruit to muffins, cakes or scones.
• Add one or more of the following to the usual cheese on crackers: sliced tomato, cucumber, red pepper, avocado, gherkins or pickled onion.
• Dips or hummus served with a range of colourful vegetables cut into bite-sized pieces. Try carrot, celery, cucumber and red pepper strips, green beans, cauliflower and broccoli florets steamed until just tender.

  HealthInfo recommends the following videos

• Te Whatu Ora Waitaha – Vegetables and fruit

  A short video with advice about eating more vegetables and fruit.

  HealthInfo recommends the following pages

• 5+ a day – How to get 5+ every day

  Meal and snack ideas to help you eat more vegetables and fruit.

• Vegetables.co.nz – Recipes

  A variety of recipes using vegetables.

Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed March 2025.

Sources

Page reference: 33666

Review key: HIHEI-34305