A fresh produce-rich diet lowers the risk of heart disease, attacks and stroke. Phytochemicals, the compounds found in plant foods, help guard against chronic diseases, including cancer. A 2021 study discovered that people who ate five servings of fruit and vegetables daily had a 12 per cent lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease and a 10 per cent lower risk of dying from cancer.

Studies involving more than 180,000 found that those who ate the most whole fruits had a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Another study revealed that a fresh produce-rich diet reduced the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by an incredible 50 per cent!

Fruits and vegetables are essential in building bone density and protecting against diseases like osteoporosis. Fruits and veggies are brilliant sources of vitamins C, K and A, magnesium, potassium and carotenoids, all of which help promote good skeletal health.

Fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Vegetables are a plant's edible stems, roots, leaves and bulbs. Both are classified in two ways - botanical and culinary. Botanical talks about the function and structure of the plant, and culinary is all about its flavour and how it is prepared for eating. Fruit is often sweet, tart or tangy, and veggies are more often savoury tasting.

Some fruits often mistaken for a vegetable are:

• Tomatoes

• Avocado

• Cucumbers

• Pumpkin

• Squash

• Eggplant

• Olives

• Bell peppers

We grilled health coach Brenda Janschek, an ambassador for Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Day, on how to bank daily nourishment so your body operates at its best.

Buy what's in season to ensure freshness, higher nutritional value, quality, flavour, and value for money. It pays to note that when crops need to be transported, they are harvested early and then refrigerated to ensure they stay intact while they are being transported. Often once they reach their destination, they need to be heated in a hothouse to ripen artificially, which changes the flavour, texture, nutrition and taste as well.

Choosing organic ensures that no synthetic chemicals or genetically modified food are used. Consider referring to the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 by the Environmental Working Group when choosing what fruit and vegetables to buy organic. For example, strawberries are high on the list as they are heavily sprayed with chemicals. Items like avocados, pineapples, eggplants, and other thick-skinned fruit are safe to buy non-organic.

When you don't have fresh fruit and vegetables on hand, and you’re on the hop, the next best thing to do is grab a nourishing plant-based protein powder, like Perth’s nuut, to give your body everything it needs.

Vegan protein powder is an easy and efficient way to bank the benefits of whole foods, especially if you are busy and can’t get your hands on fresh fruit and vegetables. Perth-founded nuut is one of Australia’s leading vegan protein powders. 100% plant-based powdered nourishment, it provides your body with one-third of your daily dietary requirements.

Fortifying, unfussy and straight-up delicious, nuut plant-based protein powder is convenient nourishment on the go. Just one sachet of vegan protein powder added to plant-based milk or water is an easy way to bank a daily dose of nourishment no matter what life throws at you.

Eating the rainbow ensures you get enough fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to protect against illness, bone density loss, and digestive problems and improve gut health.

• Red fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, beets, radishes, cherries, strawberries, red onions and red peppers contain lycopene, promote heart health, decrease prostate and breast cancer risk, and contribute to stroke prevention and brain function.

• Orange and yellow fruits and vegetables, including carrots, apricots, squash, yellow peppers, sweet potatoes, bananas, pineapple, mangoes, pumpkins, peaches and oranges burst with carotenoids, that lower the risk of heart disease and inflammation, boost the immune system, promote glowing skin and sharpen vision.

• Green fruits and vegetables, like spinach, arugula, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, avocadoes, kiwis, asparagus, fresh green herbs, kale and artichokes contain indoles and isothiocyanates that help prevent cancer and are high in vitamin K, potassium, folic acid, fibre and antioxidants.

• White and brown fruits and vegetables such as onions, mushrooms, cauliflower, garlic and leeks are brimming with flavonoids and allicin, which have anti-tumour properties. They are also said to lower cholesterol and blood pressure, improve bone strength and decrease the risk of stomach cancer.

• Blue and purple fruits and vegetables, including blueberries, blackberries, eggplant, figs, purple cabbage, grapes and plums, contain anthocyanins and antioxidants that help boost brain health and memory and decrease blood pressure and the risk of stroke and heart disease.

Ensures you are buying quality, flavour, and variety by shopping at the source. The produce will be fresher, plus you're supporting the farmers. You can find exciting things like purple asparagus or different types of heritage tomatoes, which you can't always find in a supermarket. Our gut bacteria rely on us eating a wide variety of plant foods to feed them, so in return, they make things like metabolites and nutrients that keep us healthy. Variety in the foods we eat is key to a healthy gut!

Vitamin C, folates and B vitamins, in particular, can be sensitive to cooking, especially when cooking for longer lengths of time and when cooking in water.

Oven cooking, like roasting and baking, doesn’t have a significant effect on most vitamins and minerals, except for B vitamins in meat. Microwaving is great because it preserves most nutrients due to shorter cooking times.

Steaming is one of the best cooking methods for preserving nutrients, including water-soluble vitamins, because it cooks gently. The exception to this is kale which contains powerful antioxidants - polyphenols and carotenoids. These are lost during steaming but preserved when sautéing. The downside of steaming is that veggies can often taste bland, but a touch of seasoning can easily fix this.

While greens usually make up the base of most salads, think outside the box and swap your iceberg lettuce with bitter greens such as rocket, radicchio or watercress which are great detoxifiers, as are brassica vegetables like broccoli, cabbage and brussels sprouts. Add beetroot packed with vitamins and minerals, and don't forget to add the beetroot leaves to your salad which is even healthier than the beetroot itself! This Super Cleanse Salad is one of my favourites.

A salad can easily become a smoothie to ensure your daily vegetable intake. My favourite smoothie combination involves lots of kale, celery, cucumber, basil, avocado, mint or coriander, with some green apple and ginger. Here's a recipe guaranteed to add zing to your day!

Here at nuut, we like to fruit and vegetable bank by eating dessert for breakfast! Mixing our favourite fresh produce with breakfast staples like chia seeds, granola, yogurt, and vegan protein powder is an easy way to make a wholesome daily wellness deposit:

Our go-to because not only does it add creaminess to nuut smoothies and puddings like staff favourite chocolate, coconut and avocado pudding, it contains healthy unsaturated fats, cholesterol-lowering phytosterols, and potassium, that relaxes blood vessels which in turn reduces blood pressure.

Pumpkin for breakfast? Yes, you can! Pumpkin is a brilliant, sweet superfood rich in calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin C and beta-carotene. Layer it with plain Greek yogurt, granola and a sprinkling of cinnamon, and you have banked some valuable veggie nutrients for the day. Try this delicious recipe – be warned, though, it’s addictive!

Steam, then puree or finely grate cauliflower and broccoli and combine with freshly scrambled eggs or a frittata! Cauliflower adds a big boost of vitamin C, folate, potassium and very little fat. Broccoli gives eggs a lovely rich green hue, reduces inflammation, improves blood sugar control, boosts immunity, and promotes heart health.