Find Time for Nine!

When it comes to eating fruit and veg, we often hear about getting our ‘Five a Day’. Okay, if you’ve grown up on a diet devoid of fruit and veg, five is certainly a good initial target, but pretty soon you should aim to eat more. After all, fruit and veg are the best source of the vitamins and minerals we need for all the amazing chemical processes that go on inside us each and every day. Of the hundreds of different fruit and veg that you can choose from, I’m suggesting that you find time for nine. Here’s a great selection you could start off with:

Carrots have cholesterol-lowering properties and are rich in Vitamin A, which is essential for your eyes. Carrot sticks are perfect with your favourite dip, or, for a really tasty snack, try braising them with a teaspoon of honey and chopped parsley.
Cherries are a great source of vitamin C as well as the mineral potassium, which is essential for a healthy nervous system. They also supply nutrients called flavonoids that are believed to help in fending off cancer and heart disease. As well as being a great raw snack, cherries are a perfect ingredient for salads, juice, sauces and chutney.
Watercress is a definite ‘superfood’ because of its disease-preventing properties. In fact, Hippocrates was so impressed with the effect it had on his patients that he built a hospital by a stream where watercress grew! Watercress is ideal in soups, salads and sandwich fillings.
Strawberries are the quintessential summer fruit. They’re such a superb source of vitamin C that one cupful alone supplies more than the RDA for this essential vitamin. Strawberries are an ideal addition to cereals, smoothies, pancakes or a day out at Wimbledon – though make sure you use non-dairy cream!
Asparagus is such a great supplier of folic acid that it’s almost a ‘must eat’ during pregnancy. Originally called ‘sparrow grass’ until it was mispronounced so many times, this nutrient powerhouse is not only perfect in salads, pasta dishes and risottos, but also makes great ‘soldiers’ for kids to dunk in a boiled egg!
Pineapple contains a really important digestive enzyme called bromelain, which helps break down protein. It’s also a superb source of the nutrient manganese as well as vitamins B and C. You’ve probably had pineapple in fruit salad, but I wonder if you’ve tried a fruit kebab? Skewer a couple of chunks of pineapple as well as strawberries, grapes and blueberries, then drizzle with a little honey. It makes a perfect summer snack, and kids love it!
Daikon, otherwise known as ‘mouli’, is very low in calories, but rich in cancer-fighting antioxidants as well as iron and digestive enzymes. Try grating some on salads or stews to add a delicate peppery flavour.
Pomegranate has been labelled as the latest ‘superfood’, thanks to its high levels of antioxidants and vitamins A, C & E. Just split the fruit open to reveal a mass of bright red seeds, which can then be sprinkled on salads, sandwich fillings or desserts.
Kale – a more flavoursome member of the cabbage family – is rich in a number of minerals including calcium, iron and potassium, as well as vitamins A, C and K. Kale is an ideal addition to soups and stir-fries.

Customers having Nutrichef’s weight loss meals delivered to their door needn’t worry that they will miss out on their fruit and vegetable intake – we provide around ten different fruit and veg every day and around fifty on a one-month meal plan. Thus you can be assured that you will be getting a very wide range of essential vitamins and minerals.