In a curious exception, Mr Lekatsas' suburb of Thomastown and nearby Lalor, which were both ranked among the top 10 per cent most disadvantaged areas in Victoria in the last census, are bucking the trend. Researchers from Torrens University Australia estimate up to two thirds of residents in these suburbs were consuming the recommended fruit intake, more than 15 per cent higher than the state average. It's a quirk that experts believe could be partly driven by a European migrant culture of growing your own fruit and vegetables. Mr Lekatsas' backyard is an oasis brimming with three different kinds of sun-kissed pear and plum trees, apricots, peaches, mandarins, nectarines, cherries, exotic Chinese strawberries, passionfruit, blackberries, lemons, limes and juicy, ripe tomatoes. The grandfather of four spends up to five hours a day tending to his garden and makeshift greenhouse at the rear of the yard where he grows his collection of lettuce and herbs.

“Why do I do it? Because I love it. It keeps me young,” he said. "This is my country paradise." Ripe pears in Gregory and Maria Lekatsas' garden. Credit:Justin McManus The Lekatsases migrated to Australia from Greece 64 years ago and have been growing their own fruit and vegetables ever since. Mr Lekatsas' prized produce, which won him the title of Whittlesea Council's Most Edible Garden in 2004, has such a reputation he has had to stop growing it in his front yard. "People were coming here and pinching the garlic and zucchini in the middle of the night," his son, Steven Lekatsas, told The Age. Mr Lekatsas shares his seedlings with his neighbours, including Italian migrant Angelo Nardella, 82, who grows his own fruit across the road.

A basket of fruit and vegetables picked by the Lekatsases. Credit:Justin McManus "Angelo is like a brother to us," Mrs Lekatsas said. "We have known him for 50 years." The Social Health Atlas data, which maps a range of demographics and health indicators across local government areas, shows up to 49 per cent of Victorians are not eating the recommended two serves of fruit per day. Suburbs with the lowest proportion of adults eating enough fruit included Frankston and Frankston North. In Frankston, it is estimated that almost 70 per cent of adults do not consume the recommended fruit intake. Gregory and Maria Lekatsas in their garden. National data reveals that about 50 per cent of Victorians aren't eating enough fruit. Credit:Justin McManus

People living in suburbs, including Toorak, Armadale, Kew and Malvern East, were consuming the most fruit, with almost 70 per cent getting their recommended dose. Stephen Duckett, director of the health program at the Grattan Institute, said it was difficult to pinpoint a single reason why residents of Thomastown were eating more fruit. He speculated, however, one possibility could be that residents of some areas, particularly migrants living in more multiculturally diverse suburbs, are consuming fruit and vegetables they have grown themselves. "I suspect some people might grow their own," he said. "Although fruit is a bit harder to grow than vegetables. It was very, very common, especially for European background migrants, to grow their own vegetables and that might be the case with other migrant backgrounds too." National Health and Medical Research Council program director and Melbourne University associate professor Sharon Brennan-Olsen believes the reasons are multifaceted and tied to intricacies in the data.

One theory was that Melbourne's housing market strain may be pushing more younger people to buy or rent further north. "It could be age specific and linked to the area's ageing population because we know elderly people often take preventative health measures to look after themselves," Professor Brennan-Olsen said. "It also be could be younger people who have moved to these areas to break into the housing market following the recommendations of fruit intake." She said accessibility to fresh fruit and vegetables was paramount and those living in lower socioeconomic suburbs continued to be disadvantaged. "There has been some arguments that lower SES [socioeconomic status] areas receive poorer quality fruit than more wealthy areas," Professor Brennan-Olsen said. Not eating enough fruit can lead to malnutrition or obesity and increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease and even certain cancers.