And Armidale women fare little better, with fewer than 20 per cent meeting the vegetable consumption guideline of five serves a day.

The alarming statistics are revealed in a Hunter New England Health document which shows while fruit and vegetable consumption has increased over the past 10 years, it is still well short of the guideline of two serves of fruit and five of veg a day.

Authorities say adequate fruit and vegetable consumption is essential for preventing a wide variety of health conditions, including cancer, obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and renal disease. Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in place of high fat and high sugar snacks and meals can also support the achievement and maintenance of a healthy weight.

The Hunter New England Health report, titled ‘Recommended Fruit and Vegetable Consumption – are we eating 2&5?’, is available online and includes information about current recommended fruit and vegetable consumption across the region, sorted by age, sex and overall prevalence.

The report found people in the Hunter New England region had increased their consumption of fruit and veg between 1997 and 2008.

• Despite this increase, in 2008, just over 1 in 2 (56.6%) local residents reported consuming the recommended serves of fruit and just over 1 in 10 (12.5%) reported consuming the recommended serves of vegetables per day.

• In 2008, females were statistically more likely to consume the recommended serves of fruit (63.4%) and vegetables (17.3%) when compared to their male counterparts (fruit 49.8% and vegetable 7.6%).

• Males and persons aged 25-44 years, were most likely to report low levels of recommended fruit and vegetable consumption.

Director of Health Promotion, Karen Gillham, reinforced the Federal Government’s health initiative ‘Go for 2 & 5’, which recommends a daily intake of two serves of fruit and five serves of vegetables.

“The New Year represents a great time to set realistic healthy eating goals and to develop a plan for action. For more information on eating healthy, call the ‘get healthy, coaching and information service’, on 1300 806 258 (Monday-Friday 8am – 8pm),” Ms Gillham said.

* The fruit and

vegetable consumption report is online at www.healtheresource.com.au