10 fruit & veg a day - is it really possible long term?

[SplinterSplit]

I'm mulling over a diet change as I've 2 stone a bit of weight to lose. We're all familiar with the '5 a day' rule but the nhs says 10 would be better.. Could you, do you, eat 10 portions of fruit/veg a day? What would your daily diet look like breakfast/lunch & dinner? I'm interested to hear what others think? I bet it'd make a massive difference to my aches & pains & how I feel overall. I think I'd find it very hard though. Last time I tried a major diet change I lasted 3 months & fell off the wagon.

There’s no way I’d manage 10. I’ve changed my diet recently and have three portions of raw veg/fruit as snacks during the day. Probably 2/3 with evening meal, but I find salad so incredibly dull so can’t manage anything at lunch really. 6 is about my mark most days!

I'm miles away from 10 a day - I love vegetables but am pretty indifferent to fruit, which doesn't help. I'd never choose to eat an apple, for example - I do so out of a sense of obligation. Could you build up gradually to 10?

BUT, (I’ve just realised diet change is not ‘recent’ it was a year ago ), I’ve had two colds in a year, rather than normal 6-8, so it’s definitely doing me some good!

I couldn't do it, i have a weird thing about fruit (insects in fruit ... I don't know it just freeks me out??) My kids probably get close to 10 portions of fruit and veg but i get closer to the 5

So three at each meal plus one or two snacks? Can’t recall how much is a portion exactly. How about
Spinach & mushroom omelette with some cherry tomatoes on the side.
Apple
Chopped salad with feta for lunch.
Banana
Chicken with three veg for tea.

Or soup could that count for three?
Or noodles?
Or berry porridge?

I reckon I’d last about three days before I stopped. And I currently eat nothing like that amount.

I have a salad most days. Today's had 7 different types of fruit and veg in.

You could juice a few together or make a smoothie?
I usually have 5-8
OJ and a slice of melon at breakfast=2
Small salad or baked beans with a baked potato for lunch=1
Nakd bar mid afternoon=1
Dinner- carrots& peas with a main=2
Snack- handful of grapes=1

The World Health Organisation says '800g'. I'm going to have to get the scales out now & see what that looks like...

It’s possible but only if you eat dinner st home. I typically eat 8-10 portions.

B
Banana and blueberries or raspberries with yog (2)

L
Something from the canteen PLUS I take a little bag of cucumber, baby toms, carrot. If you liked celery you could add that but I hate it.
(3-6 based on canteen choice so let’s go with 4 which would probably be typical)

Snack
Apple or satsuma
(1)

Dinner
Chicken curry with lots of peppers and peas
Served with cauliflower rice and spinach
(4)

Or
Mixed veg Thai curry (aubergine, sugar snap peas, baby corn, peppers) served with real rice
(4)

Or filled pasta with spinach and rocket (2)

Or sushi bowl with edememe beans, avo, spinach and fish and rice (3)

Or fish cakes with peas and broccoli and cauli (3)

Five veg ravine (5) with couscous

Road veg with hallumi and chickpeas (3 or 4 if you could chickpeas)

Etc

Basically if I have the fruit at breakfast and the veg bag at lunch I just need a relatively normal dinner to hit 8-10

I try not to have more than 3 fruit a day

It's easy once it becomes a habit. It's just expensive compared to eating crap and junk food.

Remember a ‘portion’ is usually considered to be about 80g of each fruit/ veg. So, not just the number of different types, but the quantity of each matters.

Don’t count OJ - WHO say they regret ever including that
Don’t count dried fruit
Don’t count naked bars (FFS)
Don’t count smoothies for any more than one and only then if you’ve actually seen some real fruit or veg go in
Check you’re actually eating enough to be ‘a portion’ of the veg

I think it's easy enough. Today I'm doing an 800 cal day on the FAST diet and I've had mushrooms, spinach, avocado, cherry tomatoes, rocket & watercress, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, spring onion.

Yesterday, its quite easy

Breakfast (2) - Fresh orange juice, dried banana on porridge.
Lunch (2) -Baked potatoes with salad & beans
Snacks (2) - Apple & smoothie
Dinner (3) - Broccoli, cauliflower & vegi lasagne
Desert (1) - Strawberries

Having a chickpea or lentil and vegetable curry for lunch would add a few easily, plus you’d be having a daily dose of turmeric (with black pepper and oil which its suggested might aid its absorption?)

Yes it is doable long term but IMO only if you drastically cut down on traditional sources of carbs - bread, potatoes, pasta.

I read an article where a journalist did that for a week and gained a couple of pounds as it is a lot of food. Better to eat healthier and listen to your body

I saw this book in Waterstones at the weekend 10 a day the easy way

Easy, today was porridge with a banana and blueberries for breakfast. Salad for lunch with lettuce, tomatoes, onion, peppers, spinach and grated carrot. Apple and melon for snacks, then curry with cauliflower rice for dinner.

I was on MN threads last yr when posters tried to get 10/day for a month.
I found it surprisingly easy, tbh. Could depend how you define the 10, I guess. Some people thought it should be 10 completely different & beans, nuts, dried fruit or juice didn't count. I don't want to be that puritanical.

It required planning. The most commonly available foods tend not to qualify. We tend to eat lunch at desk at my current office & nobody has hot or noisy food at desk: makes 10/day more difficult.

Well I've weighed it out & in volume it's just less than a Tesco's bag of carrots!

My Dd eats around 8-10(veggie teen with huge appetite)
Today she's had;
Mixed berries with Greek yogurt,honey and sunflower seeds(1-2)

Half red pepper,big handful sugar snap peas and big chunk cucumber cut into wedges with a cashew nut butter sandwich.bag crisps(3)

Kiwi,carrot sticks and cream cheese dip(2)

Omelette with asparagus and mushrooms in middle.side of roasted squash,purple sprouting broccoli and courgettes top with cheese,potato wedges(4-5)

She loves roasted chickpeas as a snack,or trail mixes.i try not give her more two helpings of fruit but she would happily eat a whole iceberg lettuce if I let her

I read an article where a journalist did that for a week and gained a couple of pounds as it is a lot of food

Yup it’s obviosuky not zero calorie to eat the veg - however it’s easily compensated for by not having a pack of crisps or a pack of malteasers or something. Also try not to load the veg snacks with high cal things like dips!

I think 10 different portions of fruit and veg would be hard... as PP have said it's not just a small amount

... isn't it usually about the size of the palm of your hand or have I made that up? 🤔

I make a smoothie in the morning (great little maker from amazon for 20 quid) that has frozen berries, kale, a banana, chia seeds, wheatgrass or some variation of that in. This gives a good hit in the morning. (3 portions)

For lunch I have two big tomatoes, a big plate of spinach, green pepper and feta. (3 portions)

For snacks - satsuma or fresh berries (this is where it can duplicate from the morning smoothie) (2 portions)

For dinner I often do a tray bake of veg from the fridge, chopped up with paprika, olive oil and add some chicken (3 portions)

But I would say.. I don't eat this every day... I have a baby so sometimes not possible. It does take a lot of preparation.

We could all eat 10 different items but 1 portion of fruit is one whole apple or 2 satsumas. Veg I think is 80 grams which is 3/4 broccoli florets. I think it averages at around 500 calls a day on fruit and veg.