For some of us, we give ourselves a pat on the back after eating one fruit or adding some vegetables from that cai png stall. While it is always commendable to have health in mind, is what you’re putting on your plate enough?
According to Active Health, only 11% of Singaporean adults eat enough fruits and vegetables while more than half of adults overeat. You may not feel it now, but having a poor diet will have negative health repercussions in the long run. So what can we do?
How Much Is Enough?
Firstly, we need to know how much we are consuming and how much we should be consuming. It is recommended that the average adult to consume 2 servings of vegetables per day. The reality is that the average Singaporean only eats about 1.78 servings.
Sounds simple right? Just eat more vegetables!
However, where you are getting your greens and how you are preparing it matters too. Before we get to that, let’s talk about serving sizes.
Exactly How Much Is One Serving Size?
The short answer is that it varies from product to product. Some food brands use smaller serving sizes to make their nutritional values look healthier.
Complicating things is the fact that fruits and vegetables don’t usually come with labels and recommended serving size.
When in doubt, just follow this simple rule:
¼ of your plate is filled with vegetables (25cm wide plate)
Better yet, if you have a weighing scale, follow this guide (each point is a serving):
- Raw Leafy Vegetables (150g)
- Cooked Leafy Vegetables (100g)
- Non-leafy Raw Vegetables (100g)
- Cooked Non-leafy Vegetables (100g)
Other Ways To Tell If You Are Not Getting What You Need
If you are not a numbers person, some other ways you can tell that you are not getting enough nutrients into your body is by how you feel. High blood pressure, chronic fatigue, and proneness to falling sick are just some symptoms of your body not getting what it needs.
Of course, there are always other factors at play that may affect the way you feel. Things such as mental health, stress, and environment play an important role in your health.
Always seek professional medical help whenever and wherever you can.
But I Already Eat My Greens!
Congratulations! How is it cooked though?
Preparation is key. Unless you are eating your vegetables steamed or blanched, there is a chance that you are not getting the full nutritional value (and no, that lettuce in your burger does not cut it). What’s more, adding too much oil in your stir-fry will only make things worse in the long run.
Do keep an eye out the next time you are at that cai png stall and TRY to avoid greasy, oily, stir-fried veggies. That being said, some greens are still better than no greens.
Is there anything else that I can do?
If you are trying to live a more nutritional life, you might as well make it fun! There are hundreds of salad recipes out there and even more colourful vegetables and fruits to try out.
If you have a very busy schedule, you can try out juicing! Cold pressed juices are quick to make and fun to experiment with (we have tons of recipes here, here, and here). Additionally, vitamins and minerals from cold pressed juices are a lot easier to absorb.
Check out our Beginner’s Guide to Juicing to learn more!
Conclusion
Whether you are a national athlete or a professional television channel surfer, our bodies need the right fuel at the right amount. The next step would be to actually get active as, after-all, output is as important as input when it comes to health.
In the meantime, know yourself and your body more before you embark on any new fitness regimen or lifestyle choice.
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