Keep your energy levels up and winter bugs at bay this winter by embracing nature’s own medicine – fresh seasonal produce.
5+ A Day Charitable Trust’s new Winter Produce Promotion highlights easy ways New Zealanders can help look after their own health by choosing to eat more in-season fruit and vegetables.
Oranges, lemons, kiwifruit, tamarillos, cabbage and broccoli are in their prime during winter and are all a good source of vitamin C, which is crucial for immune support at this time of year.
Meanwhile, winter root vegetables like potatoes, kūmara, carrots and parsnips provide hearty, energy-dense nutrition, which is ideal for warm and comforting meals on those chilly days and nights.
With hospitals and GP services stretched to their limits, Dr Carolyn Lister, Principal Scientist and Science Team Leader (Food & Health Information) at Plant & Food Research, and a Trustee for 5+ A Day Charitable Trust, said eating more fruit and vegetables as a preventative health measure has never been more critical.
“Increasing our intake of fruit and vegetables is a key step to reducing the pressure on our healthcare system. Earlier this year, an international study of 45,000 people aged 50+ from 26 different European countries confirmed a direct link exists between the amount of fresh produce we regularly consume and our chances of being admitted to hospital.”
The study, led by Brunel University of London, found that people who regularly consumed fresh produce had a reduced risk of hospitalisation, with fewer hospitalisations and shorter hospital stays. This can reduce governments’ healthcare expenditure, possibly by billions.
Researchers also pointed to a 2019 American study that found increasing fruit and vegetable consumption would prevent approximately 1.93 million cardiovascular disease events, and save USD 39.7 billion (NZD 69.2 billion) in healthcare costs.
In addition, a 2023 report from the University of Otago concluded that if all New Zealanders added one more vegetable (75g) to their diet every day, it would save the health system just over NZD 830 million over the lifespan of the population.
“It’s time to start looking at your weekly grocery shop through different eyes. Each fruit and vegetable offers a unique combination of essential nutrients and phytochemicals to help improve your physical and mental health. Studies show the most consistent decrease in disease risk is seen when people eat a more diverse range of fresh produce.”
