5 A DAY
We all know that eating 5 portions of fruit and veg a day is important for our health, but you might be surprised how easy it can be. The great thing is, you don’t need to radically change your diet or do without the things you love.
Just add a portion of veg here, sprinkle a portion of fruit there – and you’ll hit your 5 A DAY before you know it!
Top tips to get your 5 portions of fruit and veg a day
Open one
Canned fruit and veg count too. Choose canned fruit in unsweetened natural juice and vegetables in water.
Defrost one
Frozen fruit and veg count, it only takes a couple of minutes to microwave some frozen peas for your omelette.
Drink one
One 150ml glass of 100% unsweetened fruit or vegetable juice can count as a portion (but remember only 1 glass counts).
Sprinkle one
Try sprinkling pepper, onion, mushroom, sweetcorn or pineapple chunks on top of a thin-based pizza.
Breakfast one
Add fruit to cereal, porridge or lower fat yoghurt – a handful of berries or a chopped banana is lovely.
Lunch one
Add some crunch to your sandwiches with cucumber, grated carrot or tomato, and have a piece of fruit.
Pulse one
Add beans, lentils and pulses to stews, bakes and salads – remember, only 1 of your 5 A DAY can come from pulses.
Side-dish one
Have a salad or veg with your main meal. If it’s roast dinner make sure you’ve got some carrots or broccoli on your plate.
Add one
For an easy way to your 5 A DAY, add canned, frozen or fresh veg to your meals to make them even tastier:
- Add chopped carrots to spag bol
- Add red peppers to a pasta sauce
- Mix peas into your mashed potato
Dip one
Dunk veg in lower fat dip, lower fat cheese spread or salsa - sticks of cucumber, peppers, carrots or even cauliflower are delicious.