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by Rebecca Burn Dip RNT, MBANT

Fruit and vegetables are fantastic providers of key vitamins and minerals necessary for all aspects of health. Not only this, fruit and vegetables provide fibre which is necessary for healthy digestion, and antioxidants which may help to prevent damage caused by free radicals in the environment. Free radical damage is potentially incredibly dangerous as it has been linked with degenerative diseases such as heart disease and cancer.

Currently the Government recommends we all eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day. With the average adult in the UK consuming 2.8 portions a day, and many people eating far less than this, it is important to find ways to boost our intake.

Portion Guidelines

It is not as hard you may think to eat 5 a day. Fresh, frozen, chilled, canned, 100% juice and smoothies all count, as do dried fruit and vegetables.

As a general rule 3 heaped tablespoons of cooked vegetables such as carrots, peas or sweetcorn count as one portion. You’ll need 4 heaped tablespoons of dark green leafy vegetables such as kale or spring greens to make up a portion, and fruit wise a medium sized piece of fruit such as an apple, a banana, a pear or an orange count as a portion.

On the down side, a glass of fruit or vegetable juice only counts as 1 portion no matter how much you drink. Sadly the same goes for beans and pulses, and potatoes don’t count as they are classed as a starch. But don’t be disheartened, have a look at my handy hints below to find some easy ways to reach your target.

Rebecca’s Handy Tips for Eating 5 a day.

* Kick start each morning with a small glass of fruit or vegetable juice
* Add a chopped banana or apple to your cereal or porridge in the mornings
* Snack on hummus and crudités. 3 sticks of celery or 7 cherry tomatoes count as 1
portion
* Chop up a variety of vegetables to use in a stir fry. Try red peppers, carrots, broccoli and
spring greens. A delicious mix will make up a portion.
* Boil up some vegetables in vegetable stock - 2 broccoli spears or 8 cauliflower florets
count as a portion, and blend when soft for an easy soup. For an additional portion add 3
heaped teaspoons of canned sweetcorn before tucking in.
* Eat a portion of beans each day. Heap 3 tablespoons of baked beans onto a baked potato
for a simple tasty lunch
* Add additional vegetables to a tomato pasta sauce – a mix of peppers, cherry tomatoes
and mushrooms will go towards making up a portion.
* Fruit can make a great snack – the following all count as one portion: a large slice of
pineapple, an apple, half a grapefruit, 2 kiwi fruit, 7 strawberries, a tablespoon of dried
raisins or 3 dried prunes.

What about supplements?

Eating 5 a day can certainly improve our chances of reaching the recommended daily allowances (RDAs) of the nutrients we need. However this is not the whole story, sadly these days the poor quality of fruit and vegetables in many supermarkets means the nutrient content is not as high as we’d like. To guard against any nutritional shortfalls in the diet a good quality general multi vitamin is a good idea. Healthy Direct do Multi vitamins tailored for different groups - Men, Women, the over 50s and even chewable multi vitamins for children called “Wiggly Worms”.

A supplement should never be a substitute for eating your fruit and vegetables. In fact, despite containing key nutrients, a supplement cannot provide all the naturally occurring flavanoids and phytochemicals found in fresh fruit and vegetables which aid the use of nutrients in the body. So you still need to ensure you are also eating a good variety of different fruits and vegetables each day for optimum health.

For more information, visit www.healthydirect.com