Just three out of 10 Canadians eat enough fruits and vegetables. Do you need to up your intake?

If you’re like most Canadians, you don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables. The Canada Food Guide, updated in 2019, recommends preparing half of your meals with these nutritional powerhouses.

Yet only three in 10 Canadians achieve this healthy eating goal on a daily basis.

That’s according to researchers at Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analysis Laboratory in Halifax, who this summer surveyed 10,000 Canadians about their intake and perceptions of fruits and vegetables.

The new data

When asked if their intake of fruits and vegetables matched the recommended amount in the dietary guide, 43 percent of Canadians reached the goal several times a week and less than a third (29 percent) did it all days.

But it’s not because people are unaware of the health benefits of eating fruits and vegetables, including protection against high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, dementia, and premature death. The survey showed that health is, in fact, a great motivator to eat produce for 75 percent of Canadians. Many Canadians eat them to reduce cancer risk (42.6 percent), lose weight (66 percent), and promote gut health (71 percent).

The main reasons for not eating enough fruits and vegetables were the price and the feeling that “they took too much work to prepare”.

The majority of Canadians (65 percent) said they buy only fresh produce, a preference that could limit their consumption of fruits and vegetables during the winter months.

And nearly two-thirds of Canadians are concerned about pesticide residues on produce in grocery stores.

Overcoming barriers

If you feel like your daily diet is lacking in fruits and vegetables, perhaps for one of the reasons above, consider the following strategies to help you increase your intake.

Prepare ahead of time. To speed up mealtime, prepare vegetables when you bring them home from the market or grocery store. Wash and spin the lettuce, then wrap it in a damp paper towel and store in a lettuce bag or storage container.

Wash, pat dry, and chop the broccoli, bell peppers, cauliflower, and celery; Refrigerate in plastic or glass containers. Now they’re ready for quick snacks or to add to stir-fries, salads, homemade pizzas, and wraps.

Grill bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant, and portobello mushrooms on the weekends for quick weekday meals. Or make a batch of vegetable soup to enjoy during the week.

Don’t overlook the frozen. When fresh produce is not in season, frozen fruits and vegetables are a good investment. They are convenient (no need to wash or chop them) and considerably less expensive than imported products.

Additionally, frozen fruits and vegetables may have a higher nutrient content than their imported counterparts, as they are frozen immediately after harvest, when the products are most packed with nutrients. And using frozen products helps reduce food waste; you prepare only what you need and save the rest for later.

Eliminate pesticide residues. Wash and rinse all products under running water (not soap) to reduce the amount of pesticide residue, bacteria and dirt. It is the mechanical action of rubbing under water that removes this matter. Remove and discard the outer leaves of lettuce, green leafy vegetables, and cabbage. Scrub thick-skinned products like potatoes, carrots, and parsnips.

Studies have found that organic produce has lower levels of pesticide residue than conventionally grown produce. However, keep in mind that organic farms use pesticides, but they are made from natural substances rather than synthetic ones. It is also possible for synthetic pesticide residues to reach organic crops due to water contamination or spray from neighboring non-organic farms.

Special fruit and vegetable washes have not been shown to be better at removing residue than plain water, but a solution of baking soda and water may be the most effective method. A 2017 study from the University of Massachusetts showed that washing apples with such a solution removed 96 percent of two common pesticides used in apple cultivation after 15 minutes. Soak products in a sink filled with cold water mixed with four tablespoons of baking soda for five minutes or more. Rinse again with tap water before eating.

Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based dietitian in private practice, is director of food and nutrition at Medcan. Follow her on twitter @LeslieBeckRD

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