5 a day

[lastqueenofscotland]

Who regularly gets theirs?
Considering I am vegan I get mine ridiculously infrequently. Who manages and who is a bit crap like me

Don't worry about it.

The five-a-day thing has no scientific basis, it was just a handy memorable number that someone came up with, as a snappy slogan.
Just eat a balanced diet, and you will be fine.

This

Sometimes yes, sometimes really not.

On better days I have avocado at breakfast, two or three pieces of fruit during the day, a large portion of salad/veg for lunch and dinner along the lines of a veg stir-fry.

Today though, so far I've had a small portion of roasted squash and tomato, a bowl of leek and chickpea soup and some cress that came in an egg roll. I don't know yet if I'll cook veg for dinner. I probably should, looking back at that list

Depends upon who is cooking. OH is improving, but he still sometimes forgets that vegetables are food, too.

Tuesday: HM Leek and potato soup - leeks, potato, stock. Poppyseed bread.

Lentil pasta - sauce made with tinned tomatoes, garlic, onion and tomato puree, courgette ribbons and a fuckton of cheese

Yesterday: Chicken salad - leaves, cucumber, tomatoes, celery sticks, carrot sticks, lemon juice dressing.

Jacket Potatoes, huge salad consisting of mixed leaves, tomatoes, cucumber, celery, onion, beetroot. Peanut butter on poppyseed bread toast.

Today: two freshly baked Croissants

Garlic flatbread, mixed leaves, celery, feta, cucumber, tomato, homemade coleslaw (red cabbage, red onion, carrot, mayo, mustard, vinegar).

Still the size of a house, though

Yes, I easily do it, but I do like quite a variety, so lucky there.
the other day I totted up 10, but this isn't usual.

Those people listing 9-10 different types of vegetables - you know that isn’t the same as 9-10 portions right?!

Most days I do, but some days I can't be arsed. I just want to eat something cheese on toast or a sandwich without having to cut up or cook vegetables. Fruits ok though, thats nice and easy.

Those people listing 9-10 different types of vegetables - you know that isn’t the same as 9-10 portions right?!

It is the amount I have of them.

www.nhs.uk/Livewell/5ADAY/Documents/Downloads/5ADAY_portion_guide.pdf

I just want to eat something cheese on toast or a sandwich without having to cut up or cook vegetables. Fruits ok though, thats nice and easy

I'm the opposite. I probably scrape 5 a day veg, but I pretty much only eat fruit if it has been cut up for me, such as on a breakfast buffet, although I might have one portion of frozen berries a week with muesli.

I'm making an effort, but I don't like most veg and I eat fruit because I should, I'd rather eat nothing if it's a choice, it's not like I'm snacking on something which I could replace with fruit.

Today I had an apple and a bowl of mixed leaves with lunch. I also had hummus and olives with my lunch,cehich probably made lunch up to 2 portions.

Lunch was large so I'm not having much for dinner; a hit cross bun and a smoothy. The smoothy will either be kale, spinach and pineapple or banana, red fruit and oat milk. Either way it's 1.5-2 portions so today I'll have got 4.5 portions, which is good for me.

Tomorrow I'm having homemade veg soup- 2 portions, I'll have an apple too. I don't know what dinner is as we have people delivering food tonus for the next 2 weeks (we've just had a baby and my church group makes us a meal plan for 2 weeks).

Usually because I eat plant based

Those portion sizes are really small!!

Those people listing 9-10 different types of vegetables - you know that isn’t the same as 9-10 portions right?!

Yes. It makes up the bulk of my food including almost all of the carb component (no bread, rice, pasta, potatoes routinely). Just add protein extra (as meat, fish, nuts, dairy, seeds or protein bars if I'm on a run).

Been in bed all day with flu, so just snacking but still managed 9 different ones, equating to 8 portions per NHS guidelines.

Still feel like crap though!

So I just went down to grab myself an apple after reading the posts. I was eating a bar of galaxy...

Trying to get better at getting mine

Does anyone know if the following count:

• garlic
• herbs
• olives

You'd need to eat an awful lot of garlic and herbs to make up a portion. I have read the saltiness of olives outweighs the benefits of them as a fruit/veg portion

@dementedpixie - that's interesting re the salt content of olives, I guess it makes sense

I could shovel down tonnes of garlic, can't get enough of the stuff...but still not enough to make up a portion i imagine!!!

tonight I had garlic pasta with olives and coriander...yum

I've started to eat vegan lunches - loads of vegetables - at work. I don't eat breakfast. I always then add spinach to my lunch (well if appropriate!). A couple of portions with dinner and I'm done. Ideally vegetables rather than fruit to keep the sugar down. Most of my fruitis in the form of red wine.

I'm definitely feeling better for it.

I used to get one a day, if that! Since being vegan I eat loads of veg. Today I had:

Breakfast: Toast

Lunch: Salad with kale, spinach, tomato, sweetcorn, spring onion, sweet potato, red and yellow peppers, asparagus, carrots and brocolli -

Tea: Roast veg wraps with brussels sprouts, cauliflower, carrot, parsnip and asparagus (and plenty of hummus!)

I'm on a low carb/keto diet, so in addition to meat/fish/eggs I eat loads of green veg. Occasionally some berries, but that's usually 1/2 portion. Today I had asparagus with my brekkie, raw cucumber and carrot with lunch, and for dinner Brussels sprouts, broccoli and some courgette (which was grated into the meatloaf).

I find it extremely difficult, although my number is higher if you can count the same fruit or veg twice if you see what I mean.
Even if I buy a ready made salad or soup they usually only have 1 portion in them.
I couldn't stomach fruit and veg for breakfast so that's out. Lunch is usually soup (1 portion) or sandwiches (no portions even if there's some lettuce).
Dinner usually a meal with some bits of veg like cottage pie or butternut squash risotto, but rarely counts for more than one portion.
If I cook veg, I find it much easier to cook one at a time e.g. last night I had aubergine with cheese on top. On the weekend I had some broccoli and gravy.
What would really help me is more chances to buy those sachets of veg you can put in the microwave, but they're never sold in the supermarkets near me and the big supermarkets are too far away. I have a bag of mixed veg in the freezer, but it's all stuck together and such a pain.

"Lunch: Salad with kale, spinach, tomato, sweetcorn, spring onion, sweet potato, red and yellow peppers, asparagus, carrots and brocolli "

I really doubt there was a portion of each one or the salad would be massive. Potato doesn't count.

I do but only with a bit of effort (and if I didn't have DC I probably wouldn't).

Usually some kind of fruit in the day. Some salad with lunch. Then dinner usually has some kind of veg incorporated (e.g. tonight spag boll has celery, onions, carrots, tomatoes and mushrooms) then a few veg on the side (tonight spinach, sweetcorn and steamed brocoli).

If I'm low on veg one day I'll just do more veg with dinner (e.g. steam broccoli and carrots then sauteed briefly with butter and garlic.)

Today I've had:
Banana
Orange
Lettuce (iceberg)
Cucumber
Tomatoes
Radish
Red onion
Sweetcorn
Spring onions
Little gem lettuce
Peppers

I did use to eat unhealthy till November last year. I've had so many bugs since eating healthy I thought it'd be the opposite!

Most days, yes.
Today: porridge with a banana
A tangerine

None at lunch unless you count the tomato sauce that sardines come in or grainy seedy Vogel bread.

Dinner: onions, red and orange peppers, tomatoes, sweetcorn, carrots, iceberg, rocket, watercress, cucumber, avocado, black turtle beans (we had wraps with hot salsa, guacamole and salad.)

Yesterday: porridge with frozen berries
Lunch: Home made veg soup with sweet potato, carrot, ginger, spring onions and cabbage

Dinner: goulash with tomato, carrots, peppers, onion and roast cabbage on the side.

Those are average days.
I usually work from home but if I'm out I'd have a Pret salad as that helps keep the quota up.

"but if I'm out I'd have a Pret salad as that helps keep the quota up."

Pre-packaged salads are usually no more than 1-2 portions.
All these people just listing the veg they're having, but it's unlikely it's a portion of each.