Make 5-a-day part of your New Year’s resolutions!

Get healthy, lose weight, go to gym, no more chocolates…yes, January means lots of promising New Year’s resolutions as we try to undo our festive season indulgences. But if there’s one resolution you adopt and maintain in 2011, let it be the inclusion of at least 5 daily servings of vegetables and fruit. This simple resolution, says the 5-a-Day for Better Health TRUST, will set you up for a healthy new year and keep you from the ‘obese denialism’ plaguing South Africa.

A recent national health survey commissioned by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)* found that South Africans were at risk from the skewed view they held of their health. For example, 74% of all people surveyed thought their fellow citizens were overweight, while only 34% of these respondents actually considered themselves overweight or obese.

In addition, 78% of obese people and 52% of morbidly obese people thought they were somewhat healthy or very healthy. Perhaps most shocking was the survey’s conclusion that 61% of South Africans were in fact overweight, obese or morbidly obese.

“These statistics are very worrying, especially when considering recent insights from the International Fruit and Vegetable Alliance (IFAVA), which show that poor diet, overweight and obesity contribute to a large proportion of noncommunicable diseases, including cardiovascular diseases and cancer. The reality is, adopting a healthy, balanced diet is easier than most people think, starting with the inclusion of 5 daily servings of vegetables and fruit,” explains 5-a-Day registered dietitian and trustee, Leigh-Ann Silber.

And South African women know this. According to the TRUST’s own research undertaken by Markinor, urban South African women recognised that eating plenty of vegetables and fruit was crucial to maintaining good health and preventing disease. They even spontaneously mentioned vegetables and fruit as being the key factor in a healthy diet. Despite this, survey results showed that neither these women nor their families ate the recommended five servings a day of vegetables and fruit.

“While so many South African women know this and have the best intentions when they set their healthy New Year’s resolutions, all too often excuses cloud their judgement and before long, their resolutions are forgotten.

“Maintaining your goal of including five daily servings of vegetables and fruit hinges around banishing those excuses we all use – time constraints, inconvenience, family dislikes and that it’s too expensive. Save time by buying frozen vegetables, which eliminates the need to peel and chop and makes preparing a nutritious meal for the whole family easy and fuss-free. Fruit is perfect for on-the-run snacks and for lunchboxes, along with 100% pure unsweetened fruit juice (still or sparkling) - maximum of 200ml per day and finger veggie pieces. There are so many wonderful vegetables and fruit available all year round, you just need to experiment to discover what you and your family love most!” Silber adds.

Vegetables and fruit are still relatively inexpensive in South Africa and cheapest when they’re in season. Silber says consumers should get into the habit of only buying fresh seasonal produce, which naturally means a varied and broader veggie and fruit intake from month to month.

Of course growing your own vegetables and where possible, fruit, is an excellent way to reap the benefits of seasonal produce as well as keep costs down. Home produce encourages sustainable living practices among families and is often a win with children, who enjoy eating veggies that they helped grow.

So now you have no excuse not to make 5-a-day part of your 2011 resolutions!