We’re fed the five+ fruit-and-vegetables-a-day message on a regular basis but, according to a Ministry of Health study, only four in 10 of us take it to heart.
Their recent Eating and Activity Guidelines for New Zealand Adults survey reveals only 40 per cent of us eat the stipulated three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit a day. So 60 per cent are missing out on nutrients vital to long-term good health.
It’s figures like this that motivated Michael Mayell to develop a product that provides a simple shot of goodness for Kiwis’ daily diets.
“I really wanted to make it easier for New Zealanders to increase the amount of fruit and leafy greens in their diet,” he says.
Mayell has a long history in the food industry, founding the multi-million dollar Cookie Time business in 1983. His new company, Nutrient Rescue, has a product line far removed from the sweet treats he used to sell.
“Nutrient Rescue’s objective is to make delicious foods that aid our personal health and wellbeing, are easily accessible, and create a sustainable cycle of food production that does no harm to our planet,” he says.
Their Red and Green “shots” are made from fruit and vegetables harvested at their peak. The water content is removed to make a wholefood plant powder – and that’s it. Mix with water or a favourite low sugar beverage to supplement daily nutrient intake.
Green Shots are made from organic wheatgrass, organic barley leaf, green pea, broccoli sprout, spearmint leaf and manuka leaf and contain vitamin C and folate. Red Shots are made from dried blackcurrants and boysenberries and are high in important antioxidants.
Mayell says they recommend the shots are taken regularly in order to achieve the best results: “It is optimal to take at least one Green and one Red shot daily. Many of our customers tend to have multiple Red shots, great before and after exercise.
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Advertise with NZME.“They are also great as a substitute for the 3pm coffee to give an instant burst of energy.”
Nutrient Rescue also offer Double Shots: “These combine the energy boost of boysenberries and blackcurrants with the micro-nutrients and health benefits of green vegetables.”
While they are designed to be drunk from a shot glass (which is provided) the wholefood plant powders can also be added to a range of recipes available on the Nutrient Rescue website.
“These plant powders can make having a healthy lifestyle so much easier. They come in pretty handy in any busy family kitchen and are popular in corporate tearooms,” Mayell says.
As well as providing Kiwis with a simple means to increase their intake of fruit and vegetables, Nutrient Rescue is also committed to the wellbeing of the planet. Mayell says the company’s over-arching aim is to increase the amount of plant-based food people have in their diet, thus expanding the local organics industry and eventually encouraging dairy farmers to move their production towards plants.
“My dream is that Nutrient Rescue can help build an international market for New Zealand-grown, organic wholefood plant powders,” explains Mayell.
He’s passionate about being part of a move towards what he sees as a more sustainable future for New Zealand: “If we succeed, such a market would encourage dairy farmers and others to switch irrigated land from intensive grazing for polluting cows to planet-healing plant production. “
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