Join me for a Five-a-Day Five-Week Challenge?

[FishWithABicycle]

Would anyone else like to join a thread to keep track of whether we managed to eat our five-a-day servings of fruit and veg?

I think I'm normally not too bad but yesterday (admittedly a special case as it was Father's Day) I really didn't. Maybe a daily post here will help keep track and perhaps make me think about some of my food choices a bit better. Anyone else like to try this along with me?

So: yesterday was pretty poor. No fruit or veg at all at breakfast (cereal with milk). Lunch out at a pizzeria - my pizza had spinach on it so poss half a portion there. Supper was a small bowl of pasta and pesto with a handful of cherry tomatos - 1 potion. Score 1.5/5

Let's see how we go in future...

[cheminotte]

Hello Op. Did you want posts here or on your aibu thread? I like the idea and in theory try and have fruit or veg at every meal. So far today fruit granola for breakfast with about 4 plump strawberries added.

[FishWithABicycle]

Hi cheminotte - posts here probably best if you're going to join me for recording what you eat - not sure if the AIBU will get chocked full of people debunking whether it's remotely appropriate to aim for 5-a-day or complaining about people using AIBU just for traffic!

[cheminotte]

Hi Fish - well I've had some fried mushrooms, 5 cherry tomatoes and half a small pepper with my lunch. So maybe 2 portions in total? How are you getting on?

[FishWithABicycle]

Well I had fruity muesli for breakfast - I think you can count dried fruit towards the five-a-day but probably only half a portion.

I took some home made vegetable soup into work for my lunch but then didn't have time for a lunch break so it's still in the fridge there - fail.

But I ate my apple on the way home

So, 1.5 portions so far. Will try to boost it with supper later.

[FishWithABicycle]

OK managed 2 portions with supper as I did a risotto with leeks and broccoli. Score 3.5/5

[cheminotte]

Can you add some extra fresh or tinned fruit to your cereal and take more fruit to work?
I had some frozen peppers in my pasta sauce yesterday evening, a smallest side salad and 2 small carrots while giving dc their tea. I rarely eat raw carrots but had some recently and they were tasteless so started buying organic and definitely better.

Today had a banana in my porridge and 2 or 3 strawberries. At work so have apple and satsuma which must be eaten before any biscuits! Out this evening though so veg is likely to be lacking.

[FishWithABicycle]

I had half a pear with my fruity muesli this morning so will count that as one portion, and for lunch I made some fresh coleslaw with grated carrot, grated broccoli-stem as I don't have cabbage, and some onion (used minimal mayo so that it wasn't too fatty) then had an apple for pudding so I'm up to 3 out of 5 already today. Just need to make sure I have 2 veggies at supper time.

[FishWithABicycle]

Wasn't at all hungry this evening and was considering not bothering with supper. Did a little courgette omelet in the end - just one of my 5 a day though. Score 4.0/5

Hope you've had/are having a nice evening out cheminotte!

[cheminotte]

Thanks Fish . Lovely evening. Ate at chain pub and had ribs, chips and side salad. Salad was pretty dry though so only tomatoes, cucumbers and a bit of lettuce. With the onion rings maybe 1 portion? So with fruit at breakfast and during the day: 3.5 - 4 / 5
Not great. Today I've had most of a satsuma with breakfast - ds2 stole the rest after eating his own first!

[FishWithABicycle]

well at least that's getting him towards his 5-a-day (but that would be a whole other thread)

I think I may have managed it today if these calculations are reasonable.

Breakfast=banana (in the car, no time for cereal today) = 1 portion
Lunch=that pot of soup I never ate on Monday - it was a huge bowlful though and I think I can count it as two portions of veg, or at least 1.5
Supper=cannelloni made with spinach&ricotta in the tubes and Mediterranean veg sauce (aubergine & courgette) with a side salad of watercress & a couple of cherry tomatoes. At least 2 portions in there, possibly more.

Score=4.5/5 to possibly 5/5 w00t w00t (I don't think I'll get to this high very often though...)

it's tougher than I thought to actually make it to 5 though. I know that they are starting to advise that it should be 5veg+2fruit but I only make it to 5 if I can count fruit so that is frankly unrealistic!

[cheminotte]

Well done Fish
For me - fruity granola with extra frozen berries - 1 portion
7 cherry tomatoes with lunch - 1 portion
1 apple as after lunch snack - 1 portion
Mixed salad - lettuce, peppers, grated carrots with jacket potato for tea - 1-2 portions?

Agree some days it can be mostly fruit. I try to make sure the dc have fruit or Veg offered every meal at least. Was very impressed by visiting school friend who ate loads of salad, tomatoes and green peppers at tea yesterday.

[FishWithABicycle]

Slightly less good yesterday - but not too bad.
Breakfast=quarter of a smallish melon = 1 portion
Lunch included a bigish salad=1 portion
Supper was a burger - replaced the carbs I would normally have with it with a sort of coleslaw-like thing made with lots of finely-chopped sweet peppers and some salsa = 1 portion
And some mango for pudding, = 1 portion.
score = 4/5

[FishWithABicycle]

Cross post! hey I think we're both doing pretty well. I'm finding this thread helpful even though there's only two of us because I'm making active and conscious choices more than I would normally because I know I'll be writing it up later.

DC eating veg can be a bit hit and miss - I'm hoping that with age will come the wisdom to understand why mummy is always banging on about eating up veg and it may get easier...

[FishWithABicycle]

kept up the same sort of rate yesterday -
breakfast = quarter melon (plus a few raspberries) -1 portion
lunch included big salad again - 1 portion
supper included colcannon with lots of kale - 1 portion
then had a nectarine for pudding - 1 portion
score 4/5 pretty good just need a little more...

[cheminotte]

Glad you are finding it useful Fish - yesterday wasn't so good. Toast for breakfast so no fruit. Apple at work. Braised savoy cabbage for tea. One cabbage for two of us so maybe 2 portions? Total 3 portions.

Today I've had a pancake with chocolate spread and a banana so that's a good start.

[FishWithABicycle]

If only this were true...

Yesterday I had fruity muesli with extra fruit = 1 portion
Lunch was toast & pate with a big side salad = 1 portion
and a satsuma for pudding = 1 portion
Supper was Spanakopita with so much spinach & kale in it I think it must have been at least 1.5 portions

if only I'd had fruit for pudding I would have made it to 5, but I had a Gü "after dark " chocolate souffle pot with icecream instead.

Score = 4.5/5

[snozzlemaid]

Have you thought about a glass of orange juice sometime through the day. It often helps me to get that last one in, to get up to 5.

[FishWithABicycle]

I rarely have fruit juice after having had a stern talking-to by my dentist! I could try but the rules I've been told to follow (ensure I clean my teeth no earlier than 30 minutes and no later than 60 minutes after drinking it) are too arduous to bother with mostly...

[cheminotte]

Well I had a 50/50 juice sparkling water with my breakfast and an apple. Also beetroot, peppers and cucumbers at lunch. Salad at supper (and some veg on my pizza) and Eton Mess for pud. I reckon met the target today!

[FishWithABicycle]

well done cheminotte. I think I did less well today.
Breakfast I had cereal followed by a nectarine = 1 portion
Lunch was out at a burger-and-potato-wedges type place so my only saving grace was a small side salad - possibly only a half portion as it was pretty small.
Supper I had some broccoli as a side vegetable with an omlette.
So, only 2.5 portions. Ah well.

[cheminotte]

It really annoys me that vegetables are either non existent or tiny when you eat out so you have to pay extra just to get some vitamins! True even at posher places.

[nicoleshitsinger]

You know in Australia apparently the campaign is 7 a day, consisting of 5 veg and two fruit?

I find the only way to get through this amount of fruit and veg is to have a big spinach/avocado smoothie at some point in the day, plus a mostly vegetarian dinner.

So far today I've had
1 peach
1 satsuma
Then
1 portion of spinach, one portion of avocado, one portion of pineapple and a banana - blended with water. It was very nice actually.
Later I'll have another satsuma, a handful of cherries, and a couple of portions of veg with my dinner.

[FishWithABicycle]

nicole the guidance is being changed towards this (5+2) in the UK too I think, but it's difficult enough to achieve 5!

Today I had a banana for breakfast. I was at a bring&share lunch and had a lot of tastes of a large number of different things, including various different salads and vegetable dishes. I'm sure I would have had at least 2 portions of vegetables in amongst all the things I tried.

Not sure what I'm having for supper yet...

[cheminotte]

Thanks nicole - yes 5 is a starting point.
So far today 1 apple and half a satsuma. Off to eat tea and try and eat 3 portions in one sitting.

[nicoleshitsinger]

4 small doughnut shaped nectarines - which were EXQUISITE (and weirdly cheap from the Turkish supermarket). Probably one portion.

Will have a 4 portion smoothie when I get back from school pick up (pineapple, avocado, banana, spinach).

Tonight - vegetarian curry: beans, spinach, aubergine, tomato. (4 portions)

I'm on a roll! and will be on the toilet all day tomorrow