Dick LEE - Eating Vegetables as Part of a Healthy Diet As I was thinking about the topic, a student from the Mainland talked with me on food nutrition and I now share the points with you. The student asked me why people in Hong Kong in general consume only a little amount of vegetables every day, and why most fast food shops and Chinese style tea restaurants only provide a little amount of vegetables in lunch sets. In fact, the provision of dishes with meat as the main ingredient has been regarded as a normal practice in Hong Kong and quite a lot of people do not consume a sufficient amount of vegetables. For the purpose of promoting health, the sufficient amount of vegetables for an adult per day is 3 servings of vegetables plus 2 servings of fruit. One serving of fruit is equivalent to the size of a tennis ball and one serving of vegetables is equal to the size of half a medium-size bowl at home. You can change your eating habit by making reference to this standard. To prepare for meals that are balanced in nutrition, homemakers have to make an effort in planning meals for the family. I would like to share some tips with you. Apart from preparing vegetable salad and pan-fried vegetables, homemakers may consider cooking vegetable soup and dishes with more vegetables and less meat. The flavour of vegetables will be enhanced by the flavour of meat or fish if the amounts of fish, meat and vegetables are in the right proportion. Vegetables should not be cooked too long, otherwise the nutrients will be lost. Fruits contain many nutrients. However, according to surveys, many people are busy and fruit vitamins are replenished by having fruit juice, fruit-flavoured vitamin tablets, etc. In fact, dietary fibre and certain nutrients can only be absorbed by direct consumption of fruits. I consider that it is an enjoyable moment to eat fruits of different colours and shapes, isn't it? My family likes to store various kinds of fruits at home and prepare assorted fruits when our friends visit us. This can foster our relationship. Lastly, I would like to introduce a tasty snack: Carrot Pancakes with Onion and Sweet Potato ( Serves 3 to 5 ) Ingredients: Carrot (medium size) 2 pieces (grated) Onion (small size) 1 piece (finely chopped) Sweet potato (medium size) 2 pieces (peeled and grated) Egg 2 pieces Seasonings: Lemon (small size) Half a piece (juiced) Corn starch 3 tablespoon Ground black pepper A little amount Olive oil A little amount Cooking Method: 1. Add carrots, finely chopped onion, sweet potatoes, lemon juice, cornstarch and eggs in a large bowl and mix well. 2. Season with ground black pepper. 3. Warm a little amount of olive oil in pan. Pour a large tablespoon of carrot mixture into the middle of the pan and make a thin pancake in your preferred size. Fit in several pancakes without overlapping the Ingredients. 4. Pan-fry each side for about 2 minutes until both sides turn slightly brown. Serve. Extract from the CookSmart Issue 2