Tips to getting your ‘5 a day’

The UK recommendation is ‘5 a day’, so to eat at least 5 portions of different fruits and vegetables every day.

Fruits and vegetables help reduce our risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and can increase our longevity.¹ They also provide a source of fibre, as well as essential vitamins and minerals which are vital for our body to function effectively.

Why is variety important?

Because fruits and vegetables all contain different amounts and combinations of vitamins, minerals, and fibre, eating a variety — sometimes called ‘eating the rainbow’ — ensures we are getting all the nutrients our body needs.

Are vegetables better than fruit?

There is a misconception that fruits are less healthy than vegetables because they typically have a higher sugar content, but it is ‘free’ or ‘added’ sugars that have the potential to be more damaging to our health because they can raise blood sugar levels quickly.

>Read more about what hidden sugars there are in our foods

When we eat whole fruits, they break down more slowly because of the fibre content. Multiple research studies have shown that eating at least 400g of fruits and vegetables per day reduces our health risks, and the more we eat, the lower our risk of disease.^1,2

What counts as a serving?

• 80g of any fresh, frozen, or tinned fruit or vegetables (roughly a large handful).
• 30g of any dried fruit (roughly 1 heaped tablespoon).
• Any fruit or veg in cooked or pre-prepared foods can count towards your daily intake.
• 150ml of a fruit/veg smoothie or fruit juice.
• 3 heaped tablespoons of beans or pulses.

Explore our recipes using a whole range of vegetables

What doesn’t count as a serving?

• Potatoes – they are a great source of fibre, B vitamins and potassium but have a high content of starch. But a sweet potato will count!
• More than 150ml’s of a smoothie or juice – breaking down the fruits and vegetables releases the sugars and reduces the fibre.
• Multiple portions of the same fruit, vegetable, or beans/pulses – ‘5 a day’ means 5 different servings. Variety is important.

Top tips to getting more of your ‘5 a day’

Around 1 in 3 adults in the UK meet the 5-a-day recommendation⁴, but if you think you might fall into the 66% who aren’t quite hitting the target, here are some tips and tricks to help… it may not be as difficult as you might think:

1) Small steps first

If getting 5 servings seems a little out of reach, any improvement is a good one. Start small by adding 1 or 2 servings into your day and work up from there. Getting 1-2 portions with each meal is a good start.

2) Snacks and dessert

Snack on fresh fruit and keep your fruit bowl stocked up to encourage you to grab fruit instead of something processed or high in calories. Have fruit for dessert. Fruit salad with low fat yoghurt, a baked banana or a grilled pear are just a few examples.

3) Make your own

Make vegetable or fruit crisps as snacks. For example, roast very thin slices of apple, beetroot, parsnip, carrot, or sweet potato. Use tinned tomatoes for example as a pasta sauce instead of a ready-made sauce.

Also use a wide variety of vegetables to make homemade soup, and it will help avoid the added sugar and salt often found in ready-made soups.

4) Swaps

Swap potatoes for sweet potato, or for mash potato, use swede, butternut squash or carrot instead. Swap rice for cauliflower or broccoli rice, or swap spaghetti for courgetti (spiralised courgette).

5) Jazz it up

Try adding peas, carrots, or sweetcorn to rice to create rainbow rice. Why not swap butter for avocado on toast. It has a similar buttery texture and counts towards your 5 a day. It is also high in healthy unsaturated fats.

Head over to our diet and nutrition hub for some more tips on eating well and how to keep your nutrition on the right track.

References

1. Fruit and vegetable intake and the risk of cardiovascular disease, total cancer and all-cause mortality – Oxford Academy
2. Fruit, vegetable, and legume intake – Science Direct
3. One in three adults in UK and Ireland eat five or more daily portions of fruit and veg - Diabetes.co.uk