Your Number One Healthy Eating Goal
Eating more veggies should be your number one healthy eating goal!
You always hear you should be eating more veggies, but do you actually know why they are so important?
Veggies are vital to life!
Veggies have nutrients, vitamins and minerals which all have special roles inside your body that keep it functioning.
Your body can’t do the simple things like breath, beat your heart, move your muscles, fight off bugs, think, see and taste without them. They are like all the wheels and cogs that keep a clock ticking – your body also wont tick without them!
Did you know that less than 5% of Australians are eating enough vegetables a day! This could be part of the reason why health issues like diabetes, cancer, heart disease and mental health conditions are on the rise!
Check out some of the superheros found in veggies and what their super powers are!
Fibre
Helps to stabilise your blood sugars and reduce cholesterol absorption, which plays a role in helping to prevent risk of diseases like diabetes and heart disease.
Helps to get things moving through your bowel.
Feeds your gut bacteria, which have a big role in your mood and can help with disease prevention.
Vitamin B
Your body can’t convert the food you eat into energy without its help, which makes it hard for you to function.
Helps make the hormone serotonin, which is responsible for making you feel happy.
Vitamin C
Helps to protect the body from the development of some diseases like cancer.
Helps to protect you from the common cold.
Helps with healing wounds.
Keeps your skin nice and healthy.
Vitamin A
Needed for your vision – responsible for the different colours you see!
Required for reproduction.
Needed to fight infection and boost your immune system.
Zinc
Vitamin A won’t work in your body without Zinc’s help!
Helps with the growth and development of your body and brain.
Helps you taste.
Helps your immune system stay strong.
Helps with wound healing.
Potassium
Helps keep your heartbeat regular.
Helps make your muscles move.
Helps maintain blood pressure.
Calcium
Needed for children’s bone growth.
Keeps your bones strong throughout life.
Prevents bone loss and frailty as you age.
Helps with muscle contraction.
Eat a rainbow of fruit and veggies every day to ensure you are getting all these superheroes!!
Check out this week’s healthy recipe full of colourful veggies, most of which come from a bag of frozen vegetables!
Stove Top Pasta Bake
Serves: 4 Time: 25mins Cost: $8.80 approx. ($2.20/serve)
Ingredients
- 2 cups (200g) wholemeal (brown) pasta
- 1 jar of pasta sauce (600g)
- 500g frozen mixed vegetables
- 2 cups (300g) mushrooms, chopped
- 1 ½ cups low fat cheese, grated
- salt and pepper
- extra virgin olive oil
Method
- boil a large pot of hot water, add pasta and cook for 12 mins.
- chop mushrooms, grate cheese.
- heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on a pan using medium heat
- add mushrooms and frozen veggies to pan, cook for 5 mins
- stir through pasta sauce
- drain pasta and mix through sauce, let cook a further 5 mins, stirring occasionally.
- sprinkle over cheese, cover pan with lid or baking tray for 5 mins or until cheese melts
Serve!
