Most adults don't eat enough fruits and vegetables. In fact, dietary intake of several nutrients found in fruits and vegetables — including potassium and dietary fibre — is low enough to be a public health concern for both adults and children in the US, and in Australia.

"The bottom line is that most Aussies are not eating enough vegetables each day," Alexandra Parker, accredited practising dietitian of The Biting Truth, told HuffPost Australia.

The health consequences can be serious. For example, there is compelling evidence that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can lower the risk of heart disease and stroke.

A study of over 100,000 mean and women over 14 years found that, compared with those in the lowest category of fruit and vegetable intake (less than 1.5 servings a day), those who averaged 8 or more servings a day were 30% less likely to have had a heart attack or stroke.

Although all fruits and vegetables likely contributed to this benefit, green leafy vegetables, such as lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, and mustard greens, were most strongly associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular disease.

What's perfect is to fill half your plate with vegetables at all main meals. That may not sound very scientific, but it is a whole lot better than worrying about the details.

Add in variety and a couple of pieces of fresh fruit, and you will start to feel the difference. That's all I do - I pay attention to mixing the colours, eating 5 or so serves daily, and eating some fruit.

How you do that starts with shopping! Typically, in this kind of article, we jump into the health benefits, and what should go onto the plate.

​Not in this case! Let's start at the shop.

In a mere five years, lab-grown salmon will be on the sushi conveyer-belt, at least if a number of startups have their way. Well, they will have their way. Like the coronavirus vaccine, it is only a matter of time.

In fact, Finless Foods was hoping to bring its cell-based bluefin tuna to market by the end of 2019. Although it hasn't entirely made it, it is very close and has served small select audiences its early production lab-grown shrimp.
​
WildType, a startup making lab-grown salmon, has opened up a pre-order list for select chefs. Although the company is as much as five years out from commercial production, according to founders the company is looking to partner with chefs who want to incorporate WildType's sushi-grade salmon product into their menus.

Could these lab-based meal creations be better for us than the real thing, and would you eat it? You might be surprised.

Avocados might be the last thing you would consider would help you lose weight, but you'd be wrong. Not only can they help you lose weight, but they also improve your heart and brain and eyes, and can rejuvenate your skin.

And their effects are even more beneficial if you are older. When we're older, we need more metabolic repairs done inside and out - and avocados are the perfect food to help.
​
I eat a half-avocado every day. I lace it with other goodies such as turmeric, ginger and apple cider vinegar. But putting those aside, whatever you do with avocado - chop it, slice it, mash it, mix it - it has an astounding range of nutritional benefits, including:

Having felt uncharacteristically sick for more than a week, I saw my doctor this morning. He ruled out everything except something upsetting my gastrointestinal tract, and he took notice when I said I'm drinking a lot more tea.

I'd never thought about tea and caffeine and any side-effects. I knew that it had caffeine, but I associate coffee with excess caffeine - I even wrote a post about it not so long ago.