Aiming at five portions a day
When we hear the word 'vegetable' most of us imagine a sad looking, overcooked, cold cabbage, some sort of punishment for our gastronomical sins. The word 'fruit' brings in less depressing images, but at the end of the day it often translates into a predictable apple or banana.
How can anyone in his right mind manage to eat five portions of them a day, day after day? What's the secret?
The secret is in variety. A variety that offers bright colors, full flavors and different textures. Imagine casseroles sprinkled with fresh herbs, salads with wild flowers, homemade peach sorbet, roasted eggplant with rosemary, mango juice, pea and sorrel soup. That's an entirely different scenario.
What's on this page
- What is a portion?
- Why are fruit and vegetables so good for you?
- Which foods or products don't count towards your 5 a day? Which ones count a bit?
- 5-a-day books
- How to eat more fruits - practical tips
- Books about fruit
- How to eat more vegetables - practical tips
- Books about vegetables
- Links to other relevant pages
- How do you score?
- Have your say!
- None
What is a portion?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), we should aim at eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
A portion weighs 80g, or is roughly the size of an orange or an apple, or a bunch of grapes, two plums, two serving spoons of vegetables, half a grapefruit, half an avocado, a slice of melon, a 150 ml glass of pure juice, one third of an eggplant, a banana, one tablespoon of dried fruit or a bowl of salad.
When calculating how many portions you've had, bear in mind that each fruit or vegetable only counts once.
Fruit and vegetables count whether you eat them on their own or in soups, stews, desserts, stir-fries, sandwiches, purées, pizzas, salads, etc.
You can consume as many portions of fruit and vegetable a day as you want. There is no limit.
Why are fruit and vegetables so good for you?
There are many reasons why we should eat fruit and vegetables on a daily basis. Here are some of them:
- Fruit and vegetables are high in vitamins
- They are high in minerals
- They are low in calories
- They boost your energy
- They reduce the risk of heart disease
- They reduce the risk of stroke
- They can help you lose weight
- They help you keep your weight down
- They help you get rid of toxins
- They keep you hydrated
- Fruit and vegetables are one of the only sources of vitamin C
- They can protect you against degenerative diseases
- They are high in fiber, especially if you don't peel them
- They are low in sodium
- They are high in potassium
- They are low in fat (except for avocados and olives)
- They are full of antioxidants
- They can help reduce the risk of some cancers
Which foods or products don't count towards your 5 a day? Which ones count a bit?
There are some foods that sadly don't count as a portion of fruit or vegetable. Here are the main ones:
- Potatoes don't count at all. They're too starchy. This includes chips, crisps, French fries and jacket potatoes.
- Other vegetables like yam, plantain and yuca (or cassava) don't count either.
- Beans and pulses (chick peas, lentils) only count as one portion, regardless of the amount you eat.
- Fruit juices only count as one portion, however much you drink. That's because they have very little fiber.
- Puréed fruit only counts as one portion too.
- Dietary supplements don't count at all.
- Sodas and squash don't count at all.
- Juice drinks (that is, non-100% juices) don't count either.
- Coconut doesn't count. Nutritionists classify it as a nut, not a fruit.
5-a-day books
5 A Day: Savor the Flavor of Fruits and Vegetables
Amazon Price: (as of 12/30/2009) 
How to Get Your Five-A-Day: The Fruit and Vegetable Cookbook: Over 50 Delicious Step-by-Step Recipes for Health and Long Life
Amazon Price: (as of 12/30/2009)
How to eat more fruits - practical tips
Here are some tips to help you eat fruit throughout the day:
- Always have a bowl of fruit in the kitchen and/or dinning room, ready to be eaten at any time.
- Add pieces of fresh fruit to your desserts: slices of kiwi, mango, papaya, peach, apricot, plum or pineapple; or strawberries, cherries, raspberries, grapes, blackberries, passion fruit, guava ...
- Remember that dried and tinned fruit count towards your five a day, but dried fruit only counts as one portion, however much you eat.
- Next time you go to the supermarket, buy a type of fruit you've never had before.
- Whenever you go to the supermarket, buy small amounts of a wide variety of fruits.
- Make fruit compotes.
- Make fruit sorbets. Experiment with the amount of sugar your recipes suggest. They often need considerably less than we think.
- Always have a wide variety of fruit juices in your fridge and larder.
- Keep some pieces of fresh fruit next to your desk.
- If you're going to be out for a few hours, take a piece of fruit with you.
- Take fresh and dry fruit with you when you travel.
- Remember that most pubs, bars and restaurants serve fruit juices.
- Snack on fresh fruit.
- To get the maximum number of nutrients, make fruit salads with fruits of different colors and texture: kiwis, strawberries, grapefruit, mango, mandarins, pears ...
- Mix your fruit juices to make them more tasty: orange juice goes great with peach, for example. In fact, orange juice enhances the flavor of many other juices: strawberry, papaya, pink grapefruit, mango, etc.
- Stock up on dry fruits: prunes, sultanas, dates, figs, apricots, etc.
- Add dry fruits to your salads, casseroles, rice dishes, pasta dishes and desserts.
- Add fresh fruit to your breakfast cereal, waffles and pancakes.
- Add dry fruit to your breakfast cereal.
- Use fruit in savory dishes. Try pork with grapes, venison with apricots, chicken with apples.
- Sprinkle pomegranate over your salads.
- Make fruit loafs.
- Make fruit pies.
- Make milkshakes with a variety of fruits: banana and strawberry, peach and raspberry, banana and blackberry ...
- Spice up your fruit juices. These two are my favorite: pear juice with a hint of ginger and apple juice with fresh mint leaves.
- Add fresh and dry fruit to your lunch box.
- Have fruit salad for breakfast.
- Add fresh and dry fruit to your yogurts.
- Instead of adding sugar to your fruit juices, sweeten them up with apple juice.
Books about fruit
Here are five books on fruit:
The Fruit Hunters: A Story of Nature, Adventure, Commerce, and Obsession
Amazon Price: $19.00 (as of 12/30/2009)
How to Pick a Peach: The Search for Flavor from Farm to Table
Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 12/30/2009)
The Big Book of Juices and Smoothies: 365 Natural Blends for Health and Vitality Every Day (The Big Book of...Series)
Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 12/30/2009)
Field Guide to Produce: How to Identify, Select, and Prepare Virtually Every Fruit and Vegetable at the Market
Amazon Price: $10.85 (as of 12/30/2009)
Chez Panisse Fruit
Amazon Price: $25.16 (as of 12/30/2009)
How to eat more vegetables - practical tips
Finding enjoyable ways of eating vegetables isn't always easy. Here are some ideas:
- Try a new vegetable every time you go to the supermarket: celeriac, rocket, chicory, sweet potatoes, kale, fennel, watercress, horseradish, okra ... You're bound to find some you love.
- When you go to the supermarket, buy small amounts of a wide variety of vegetables.
- Use vegetables of different colors and textures in your dishes.
- Add some slices of cucumber to your sandwiches, or tomato, lettuce, fresh spinach ...
- Add fresh herbs to your salads and sandwiches: parsley, basil, cilantro, chives ...
- Sprinkle your pasta and rice dishes with fresh herbs.
- Stir-fry your broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and carrots with olive oil and a bit of garlic and ginger.
- When cooking vegetables, use a variety of methods: grilling, steaming, roasting, stir-frying, baking, microwaving, but avoid deep-frying.
- Snack on raw vegetables: celery, carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper or salad leaves.
- Frozen and tinned vegetables also count towards your 5 a day. Try peaches, pears and lychees.
- Instead of boiling your vegetables, cook them in the microwave. They'll taste better and won't fade in color.
- Many frozen vegetables are of excellent quality: peas, broccoli, cauliflower, French beans, broad beans, spinach, etc.
- When buying them, choose vegetables of different ripeness, so you don't have to consume them all immediately.
- Add fresh herbs, mushrooms or onion to your cooked pizza.
- Buy weird looking mushrooms. They're usually the best.
- Accompany your sandwiches with vegetable sticks: celery, carrot, zucchini, red pepper, cucumber, etc.
- You can make soups and purées with practically every vegetable: artichokes, celeriac, parsnip, peas, spinach, lettuce, celery, cauliflower, butternut squash, pumpkin ... You name it.
- When you're eating cheese or ham, have some slices of cucumber or tomato on the side, some attractive leaves (rocket, chicory, endive, dandelions, radicchio) or asparagus.
- Try putting olive oil and slices of tomato on your toast instead of your usual spread.
- You can have peas on the side with almost anything: burgers, fish, roast meat, quiche, sausages, casseroles, curries, etc.
- Add more vegetables to your dishes than your recipes say.
- Make vegetable flans, tarts, quiches and pies.
- Add asparagus tips to your vegetable creams and soups just before serving.
- Make gazpacho. It's easy.
- Accompany your meals with attractive and imaginative salads.
- Instead of cheese or beans on toast, have roast vegetables on toast.
- Add lots of vegetables to your barbecue meats. Red peppers, green peppers, zucchini, onions, leeks, shallots, tomatoes, etc.
- To grill eggplant on the barbecue, cut it in half, sprinkle it with rosemary or oregano, wrap up each half in foil, and place them on the grid for about thirty minutes.
- Add chopped vegetables to bolognaise sauce.
- Add grated carrot to your sandwiches and salads.
- Add very thin slices of zucchini to your salads and canapés.
- Avocado on its own makes a wonderful spread, and it's even nicer if you sprinkle some cilantro, parsley or basil over it.
- Olives count towards your 5 a day, but try not to eat too many of them. They're high in salt and fat.
- Add vegetables to your burritos and enchiladas.
- Make vegetable lasagna and cannelloni.
- Add vegetables to your omelets.
Books about vegetables
Five books on how to choose and cook vegetables:
The Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without
Amazon Price: $18.36 (as of 12/30/2009)
Simply Salads: More than 100 Delicious Creative Recipes Made from Prepackaged Greens and a Few Easy-to-Find Ingredients
Amazon Price: $16.49 (as of 12/30/2009)
Vegetables, Herbs and Fruit: An Illustrated Encyclopedia
Amazon Price: $19.77 (as of 12/30/2009)
Melissa's Great Book of Produce: Everything You Need to Know about Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Amazon Price: $25.60 (as of 12/30/2009)
Everyday Raw
Amazon Price: $13.59 (as of 12/30/2009)
Links to other relevant pages
You can find other articles, posts and details about healthy eating, balanced diets and food at Health and Beauty.
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by mariafernandez
I love living a healthy life, and I love beauty in all its forms.
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