We hear the phrase five-a-day a lot – but why this number?
Fruits and vegetables contain a variety of vitamins and minerals that we can’t get from other foods. They’re a great source of fibre. Eating fruits and vegetables can help create a healthy diet, plus helps ensure that you have all the micronutrients that you need.
Read on for serving suggestions and practical tips to help you achieve your five-a-day.
What is a serving?
Technically a serving is 80g or you can aim for at least a palm-sized amount. For dried fruit, it’s actually 30g or about two tablespoons. Some examples of a serving are:
- 1 banana
- 1 apple
- 2 tablespoons of raisins
- 2-3 tablespoons of cooked vegetables
- 5-7 cherry tomatoes
- 2-3 tablespoons of baked beans/haricot beans/kidney beans/cannellini beans/butter beans/chickpeas.
Practical tips:
Add a piece of fruit or veg to every meal
If you’re having three meals a day, you’re already more than half way there! You could add a piece of fruit to your breakfast, or some salad with your lunch. Add some cooked vegetables with your dinner as well. By including fruits and vegetables at every meal, it sets you up for success.
Fruit juice counts! (150ml)
150ml of fruit juice or smoothies can count towards one of your five a day! So adding a bit of orange juice to your breakfast is a really easy way to add that extra serving in. But be careful – juice is high in sugar so stick to the recommended 150ml serving. Plus, drinking two servings of juice does not count as two of your five a day.
Fresh, frozen or tinned
Whether you choose fresh, frozen, or tinned, you’re getting the same nutritional benefits. Adding frozen vegetables to a meal is a great way to get in extra vegetables, with no worries of it going off and even saving a bit of money. Choosing tinned fruit (in juice, not syrup) can be a great just to have in the house and easily added to things like porridge, yoghurt, or fruit salads.
Remember snacks!
Can you swap your mid-afternoon snack for a piece of fruit or some vegetable sticks with hummus? Making a healthy swap is a great idea, adds an extra serving, and will keep you full until dinner to help prevent over-eating. It’s a win-win!
Disguise in meals
If you aren’t a fan of vegetables, try hiding some chopped up vegetables into a pasta sauce, soup, stews, or curries. It’s an easy way to still get the vitamins and nutrients that you need without having to change up your meals too much.
Get the whole family involved
Getting everyone onboard can help you stay consistent and make children feel included. When going to the supermarket, let your child choose a fruit or vegetable they’ve never tried. It could be a fresh, frozen or tinned fruit as well!
Make it fun!
As well as allowing your child to choose a fruit or vegetable, making it fun in the kitchen also helps. Get them involved with the cooking process, can you make fun shapes with the food? This ways, achieving your five-a-day is less of a chore and more of a family activity.
Get free support
With our Beezee Adults programme, we help hundreds of people like you find healthy foods they like! We don’t tell you what to eat, but instead we’ll explain what a balanced diet looks like and little changes you can make to your lifestyle.
