Fruit & Vegetables

Fruit & Vegetables are an important part of your daily diet. They are naturally good and contain vitamins and minerals that can help to keep you healthy. It is recommended we eat five kinds of vegetable and two kinds of fruit every day for good health.

Eating more fruit and vegetables, as well as part of a well-balanced, regular diet and healthy active lifestyle will benefit most Australians. Research shows they can also help protect against some diseases.

Types of Fruit

Fruit is the sweet, fleshy, edible portion of a plant. It generally contains seeds. Fruits are usually eaten raw, although some varieties can be cooked. They come in a wide variety of colours, shapes and flavours. Common types of fruits that are readily available include:

• Pome – apples and pears
• Citrus – oranges, grapefruits, mandarins and limes
• Stonefruit – nectarines, apricots, peaches and plums
• Tropical and exotic – bananas and mangoes
• Berries – strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, kiwifruit and passionfruit
• Melons – watermelons, rock melons and honey dew melons
• Tomatoes and avocados

Types of vegetables

Vegetables are often cooked, although some kinds (salad vegetables) are eaten raw. Vegetables are available in many varieties and can be classified into biological groups or ‘families’, including:

• Leafy green – lettuce, spinach and silverbeet
• Crucifer – cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and broccoli
• Curcurbits – pumpkin, cucumber and zucchini
• Root – potato, sweet potato and yam
• Edible plant stem – celery and asparagus
• Allium – onion, garlic and shallot