(UKonly) How can I incorporate "five fruit and veg a day" in my daily food intake?

Question

I'm not a great lover of veg and the interesting fruit are too expensive. Salad is also a chore. Help.

Answer 1

Fruit juice/tomato juice/vegetable juice count as one.

A serving of tomatoes in a cheese and tomato sandwich or mixed salad in a sandwich, or a purchased submarine sandwich count as another.

Vegetables in a stew or soup are another.

One portion of mango, star fruit, banana, persimmon are another.

Chop an apple into a sandwich for another.

Tomatoes can be eaten on their own.

Carrots can be dipped into tomatoe salsa.

There are loads of ways - but don't just think of them as being eaten on their own, try some vegetarian recipes and then serve these alongside your normal meat/fish/poultry.

Try pasta dishes in tomato or salsa based sauces.

Answer 2

First some ground rules
1. Fruit and veg should be fresh or frozen, not canned.
2. Juice can only count as one portion, as it does not provide the benefits of the skins (ie fibre and phytonutrients)
3. We actually see 5-a-day as a minimum, not a target. Try to eat three of each per day.

Ok, that said, how best to do it? At the moment, Tesco and Sainsbury are selling frozen smoothie packs for about £2 for four (look near the ice cream). Each one contains two portionsof freshly frozen fruit. Add a banana and a little skimmed milk and blend. There's three portions of fruit down the hatch with breakfast for about 70p.
Now for your tea, try cooking with some fresh veg, eg a bolognese with a pepper and some tomatoes added with some fresh mushrooms. There's your three. Or try a stir-fry with pepper, mangetout, baby corn, fine beans, broccoli - whatever you like.

Good luck - happy healthy eating

Answer 3

Have a fruit salad for breakfast and a salad with your lunch and if that doesn't add up to 5 pieces of fruit and veg, have the rest with your dinner. Fruit juice also counts. So drink gallons of the stuff.

Answer 4

some fruit/veg based drinks say on them = to 1 fruit a day. it is easier than you think to get five in a day. What people forget is that drinking 5 fruit and veg a day doesn't give you the fiber you require so it is only a short cut really.

Answer 5

the best thing i find is too juice fruit and veg. You can put both fruit and veg in the same drink. If you have something like a melon or a strong tasting fruit you can put in veg like broccolli cabbage etc and you can't taste them! My favourate was carrot and orange, all you could taste was orange now i have managed to get used to the taste of just carrot. One juiced drink that i get contatains 6 carrots and you wouldnt even realise!!

Answer 6

1st thing first - Glass of OJ for breakfast. (1 down 4 to go)

10:30 bit peckish? Cox's apple and a tangerine or banana. (3 down and 2 to go - and it's not even midday)

Next 2 are always a bit harder.

Pasta in a tomato sauce - if you make this yourself from passata thats another serving of veg. Not sure about shop bought stuff though.

Vegatable soup. - That must be 1 or 2 servings.

A smoothie as part of your lunch.

A chinese or a curry for dinner.

Jobs a good 'un.

Answer 7

Once a week, in a blender put in the following :- 4 cloves of garlic, 6 carrots, 8 tomatoes, watercress, parsley, basil, chillies, 3 x bell peppers, 2 onions, some tomato ketchup.
Blend it all up really finely and then use it as a sauce with chips !! Brilliant. Tomato ketchup which is good for you !

Answer 8

fruit smoothie is a step in the right direction....I have a litre of it a day...along with get a lasagne (or other meat thing) (with salad) from my local deli for lunch, a simple apple (breaburn) is good in the am for a start and some veg with your dinner...it is not that hard.....just have o stop believing it is a chore....cooking can be entertaining and experimental.

Answer 9

A banana on your cereal and glass of orange, apple etc. - 2
An apple with your lunch - 1
A glass of juice with a chicken, ham, prawn etc salad for dinner - 2
Total - 5 easy.

You can munch on grapes, celery, peppers etc. all day long.

You could cut down the time even quicker by making smoothies, chuck all the fruit in together and drink them.
Salads come in bags now all you have to do is wash them and serve. It's not difficult.

Answer 10

eat 5 fruit and veg a day