Balance Your Festive Fare With Fresh Fruit And Vegetables

New Zealand’s 5+ A Day Charitable Trust is encouraging
us all to include more fruit and vegetables in our
celebrations leading up to Christmas to provide a balanced
approach during the festive season.

Christmas is a time for
celebrating and many of us tend to over indulge. 5+ A Day
Trustee and Principal Scientist and Team Leader at Plant
& Food Research, Dr Carolyn Lister says serving up a
delicious platter of healthy, colourful fruit and vegetables
is the perfect way to balance the menu.

“Fresh,
healthy fruit and vegetables really are the gift of health.
Packed with nutrients such as vitamin C and some of the B
vitamins which help with reducing fatigue, seasonal
favourites like strawberries and asparagus are ideal to
share with your whānau at this time of year,” she
says.

If you’re catering for a crowd at a party this
month, Dr Lister suggests planning dishes packed with fresh
seasonal produce.

“Platters are an easy way to
entertain at this time of year and look impressive. Build a
delicious and colourful platter with avocado dips, asparagus
hors d’oeuvres, and red cherry tomatoes to really please
and nourish a crowd,” she says.

“A simple platter
like this contains a whole range of nutritional benefits
from vitamin C through to folate and dietary fibre. This
ensures friends and whānau will keep a little balance while
celebrating.

Dr Lister also suggests that salads are
another quick & easy way to include a big boost of
nutrition at your upcoming event.

“Green salads can
be flavoured with almost any combination of seasonal
produce. My favourite festive take is adding fresh summer
berries or cherries to my greens along with a big handful of
fresh herbs. Adding another handful of nuts provides the
healthy fats which enable our bodies to get the most out of
the nutrients in the greens,” she says.

“Creating
colourful, balanced, delicious recipes that incorporate your
5+ A Day and more, really is the greatest way to show your
support for the health of your friends and whānau this
holiday
season.”

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