EAT FOR HEALTH Australian Dietary Guidelines

EAT FOR HEALTH – AusTRALiAn diETARy guidELinEs

36

Guideline 2

2.2 Enjoy plenty of vegetables, including different types and colours,

and legumes/beans, and enjoy fruit

2.2.1 Setting the scene

There are many nutritional, societal, culinary and environmental reasons to ensure that vegetables, including

legumes/beans, and fruit are a major component of Australian dietary patterns. These foods are nutrient dense,

relatively low in energy (kilojoules) and are good sources of minerals and vitamins (such as magnesium, vitamin C

and folate), dietary fibre and a range of phytochemicals including carotenoids. Many of the sub-components

of foods and their relationships have not been studied in detail, and it is expected that other sub-components –

and their biological effects – are still to be discovered.

The inclusion of a variety of vegetables, including legumes/beans, and fruit provides a diversity of colours, textures

and flavours, adding to the enjoyment of eating. Vegetables, including legumes/beans, and fruit should be eaten in

their whole food forms to maximise the impact on a range of health benefits. Fruit should mostly be eaten fresh

and raw because of the low fibre content of fruit juice and the high energy density and ‘stickiness’ (which may

have implications for dental caries) of dried fruit.^9 Some vegetables are suitable to eat raw, while it is best to cook

others to make them more palatable and digestible. Dried legumes should be cooked. Some processed fruits and

vegetables, such as those that are canned or frozen in natural juices, are nutritious alternatives as long as they are

produced without added salt, sugar (including concentrated fruit juice) or fat (in particular saturated fat).

Different fruits and vegetables are rich in different nutrients. For example, green leafy and Brassica (or cruciferous)

vegetables are generally high in folate, and starchy vegetables are a good source of complex carbohydrates.

Legumes/beans provide a valuable and cost-efficient source of protein, iron, some essential fatty acids, soluble

and insoluble dietary fibre and micronutrients for all Australians, but particularly for those consuming vegetarian

or vegan meals.^9

The health benefits of consuming diets high in vegetables, including legumes/beans, and fruit have been reported

for decades and are consistently recognised in international dietary guidelines.35,36,198,360 However fruit and

vegetable access, affordability and availability may be difficult for some groups. Further discussion can be found

in Appendix A.

2.2.2 The evidence for consuming ‘plenty of vegetables’

The scientific evidence for the health benefits of consuming vegetables, including legumes/beans, has been

strong for several decades and has generally continued to strengthen over recent years, particularly the evidence

for a protective effect against cardiovascular disease.^361 Recent research on vegetable intake and cancer has

focused more on investigating the health effects of consuming different subgroups of vegetables on site-specific

cancers than the effect of total vegetable intake. There is strengthened evidence of the beneficial effects of intake

of various non-starchy vegetables in reducing risk of some site-specific cancers. High dietary intakes of some

starchy vegetables may help explain the weaker association between total vegetable intake and many site-specific

cancers. There is also greater clarity on the quantity of vegetables to produce beneficial health effects, plus

increasing evidence of a protective effect against a number of chronic diseases for consumption of vegetables

and fruit when considered together (see Appendix J).

Although serve sizes of vegetables differed between studies considered in the Evidence Report,^33 the evidence

statements presented in Table 2.2 are based on the Australian standard serve size of 75g.