- You don't need a big garden to grow vegetables, many can be grown in pots or in the flower border.

- You can burn hundreds of calories when gardening.

- The government suggests 5 a day but the more the better.

- You can absorb more beta-carotene from a cooked carrot than by eating it raw, but get more vitamin C from raw broccoli than sauteed.

- Steaming helps retain more nutrients when cooking compared to boiling.

- There is a general rule that the greater the richness of colour of a fruit or vegetable, the more powerful its potential effect on health.

- The leaves of beetroot are as nutritious as spinach

- Celery is low in calories and a tasty addition to the diet for those of us trying to control our weight.

- To get the maximum health benefits from your tomatoes serve them with an olive oil dressing.

- An 80g (3oz) serving of watercress provides your daily requirement of pro-vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin K.

- You can increase the amount of manganese in the soil using organic fertilisers.

- The very high temperatures of frying can destroy vitamin E.Some losses also occur during freezing and thawing.

- Cooking often makes ß-carotene more available to the body by increasing its solubility, particularly if cooked in the presence of fat/oil.

- Many vegetables are very rich sources of folate with asparagus, beetroot and Brussels sprouts supplying over 50% of the recommended nutrient intake in one portion.

For more information on healthy eating please see the following links:

Click here to view 'Guide to find out more about the vitamins and minerals in your vegetables'

Click here to view 'Nutritional guide - grow your way to 5 a day'

Click here to view 'What vitamins and minerals are in your vegetables and what are the health benefits'