September is Fruit and Vegetable Month, the perfect time to boost your intake of these nutritious powerhouses and Eat a Rainbow. At MindChamps, we’re committed to helping our Champs get their 2 fruit and 5 vegetable serves each day. Through our nutrition curriculum, children learn about the health benefits of fruits and vegetables. From growing seasonal produce in our centre gardens to cooking with fresh ingredients during our Gourmet Moments activities, we make healthy eating both educational and fun! Our wholefood menu reflects this commitment, offering vegetables five times a day.
Why You Should Eat a Rainbow
Fruits and vegetables are packed with essential vitamins and minerals that contribute to overall well-being. Vitamin C supports a strong immune system, while potassium and magnesium promote heart health. Rich in dietary fibre, fruits and vegetables aid digestion, support a healthy gut, and help prevent constipation. Beans and legumes, which also count towards your daily vegetable intake are high in fibre as well as iron—essential for red blood cell formation and cognitive development in children.
Fruits and vegetables also contain phytochemicals, natural compounds that give them their vibrant colours and health benefits which include the following:
- Red: Rich in lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that supports heart and brain health.
- Orange & Yellow: Contain carotenoids, a form of vitamin A that supports immune function and eye health.
- Green: Packed with cancer-fighting phytochemicals and folate, crucial for red blood cell formation and optimal foetal development during pregnancy.
- Blue & Purple: Contain anthocyanins, linked to improved brain health and reduced risk of cancer, stroke, and heart disease.
- White & Brown: Contain antiviral and antibacterial phytochemicals, and are good sources of potassium and magnesium, which support blood pressure, muscle function, and bone health.
Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables ensures you receive a broad spectrum of these nutrients to support your long-term health.
3 Tips to Boost Your Fruit & Vegetable Intake
- Eat with the Seasons: Embrace seasonal produce for a variety of nutrients and enjoy the affordability of in-season fruits and vegetables.
- Try Something New: Experiment with new recipes and add one new fruit or vegetable to your weekly shopping list this spring.
- Let Colours Guide You: Fill your plate with a rainbow of colours to ensure diverse nutrients. Start with three different colours and see how many more you can add over time!
Seasonal Springtime Fruits & Vegetables
This spring, enjoy in-season fruits like avocados, bananas, blueberries, cherries, grapefruit, lemons, lychees, mandarins, mangoes, melons, mulberries, oranges, papayas, passionfruit, pineapples, pomelos, red apples, strawberries, and tangelos.
Don’t forget to add seasonal vegetables to your shopping list, such as artichokes, Asian greens, asparagus, beetroot, broad beans, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, chili, cucumber, fennel, garlic, green beans, green peas, kale, lettuce, mushrooms, peas, potatoes, silverbeet, snow peas, spinach, spring onions, sweetcorn, tomatoes, watercress, zucchini, and zucchini flowers.
Delicious Recipes to Try at Home from our MindChamps Menu
Incorporating more fruits and vegetables into your meals is easier and tastier than you might think. Here are some of our favourite child-approved recipes to try, direct from our MindChamps wholefood menu:
- Breakfast: Even children can enjoy vegetables for Breakfast! Kickstart your day with our Sweet Potato Pancakes, and top with fresh seasonal fruit.
- Morning or Afternoon Tea: Bake a batch of our Fluffy Carrot Scones with your little ones and pair with a veggie stick and dip platter for extra veggie goodness.
- Lunch: Enjoy a warm bowl of our Hearty Minestrone Soup, packed with nutritious beans and fresh vegetables.
- Dinner: Savour our Champ-favourite hidden veggie Beef Patties with Crunchy Asian Slaw or opt for a vegetarian version with tofu, which also counts to your daily veggie intake!
- Dessert: Finish the day right with our sweet and satisfying Berry Crumble with Yoghurt.
Getting your 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of vegetables each day has never been more delicious or fun! This Fruit & Vegetable Month, challenge yourself to add more fruits and vegetables to your daily meals so you can Eat A Rainbow, and enjoy the health benefits along the way!