Eating our 10-a-day thread

[Breathmiller]

I would like to try to start a project of getting my 10-a-day of fruit and veg in every day.

Anyone fancy joining me? I find groups on here of support so useful.

I know lentils and beans and chickpeas are part of it too so I will up them. I'm vegan so I'm hoping that should make things easier as I eat lentils as part of my diet anyway.

This thread is for everyone who would like to focus on 'eating the rainbow' as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Or anyone who does this already who has any hints and tips?

Well done @Breathmiller it isn’t easy when the cupboards get bare! Glad you enjoyed the birthday weekend.

Managed 10 today
Strawberries
Blueberries
Tomatoes
Celery
Red pepper
Yellow pepper
Banana
Kale
Swiss chard
Tomatoes again

I’ve managed 7 portions according to Nutracheck today:
Grapes
Fruit juice

Summer squash soup
Apple

Cauliflower cheese
Carrots
Peas

Look - no watermelon 😆!

Evening rainbow folk. I wondered how people are measuring - by eye or handful or weighing? I'm using the scales a lot but it gets a bit tedious so I wonder if I'll get better at estimating by eye.
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Today I had raspberries and melon with my usual yogurt and seeds. I need to weigh my breakfast fruit because it might only be 1 portion tbh
Then lunch was a tin of ratatouille which I added a lot of puy lentils to. The ratatouille weighed 380g which is almost 5 portions by weight but I don't know if it counts as 5? And another portion of lentils

For dinner we had baked potatoes with coleslaw, avocado and hummus. Another 2 portions.
9 in total if the ratatouille counts!

Every now and again I set up my balance scale with 80g (or 160 or 240g) and measure some veg just to give myself an idea of what it looks like. It sits out on the counter anyway.

I weigh but only because I’m also trying to lose weight and log everything on Nutracheck. I think you need to work out what’s right for you Narwhal regards the lentils and 5 portions. I would only count it is one, I think, because it is the diversity that matters more.

Having said that if in the 5 a day you can have 1 pulse/bean and 1 juice I would say you could do 2 of those if doing 10 a day.

Woops, wrote a post then lost it.

I have also wondered about the 2 portions of lentils/pulses for 10 a day. Anyone know? So if I have houmous for lunch and lentils for dinner is that 2? I've only been counting it as one. narwhal the veg in your ratatouille would count separately too though. So half a pepper? Courgette.Onion. Tomato and lentils. If that was all in your dish then that would make it 5. As long as each were full portions. I find onion the hardest to get a whole portion though. For a family of four I'm likely to add one or two at most to a dish, I'm not going to put 4 onions into a ratatouille. But I do count half portions of things now and add two half portions together. So, half an onion say, and a quarter of a red pepper would make 1 portion.

I might not go shopping today actually. I would like to eat light after a heavy weekend but also a heavy spending weekend so I would like to have a no spend day and clear out my cuboards and fridge/freezer. I might just be able to make my 10 out of what I have if I am inventive. I always get like this near the end of the month.

I have a notion just to eat my 10 a day today and nothing else. I feel bloated and full from the over eating yesterday. I'm also doing this to lose a bit of weight.
I feel like having a reset day in lots of ways. A quiet day, resetting the house, me and my food. It's all been a little manic lately with work and birthdays and back to school and..and..and...

Thanks for thoughts on weighing and portions etc. Yes, I thought as the ratatouille contained tomatoes, courgette, aubergine, peppers, onions and my added lentils, that it would be more than one portion... In total it weighed almost 500g so I was hoping so. It's a grey area though isn't it.

What do we think about tofu? I'm guessing it's too processed to count, but I eat quite a lot of it so I was hopeful

I hope you have a peaceful and relaxing day, Breathmiller, and anyone else who needs one.

I don't have many plans as we've been busy lately too, but I might take the kids blackberry-picking later. Always thinking of my ten a day, LOL.

I also looked up tofu as I love it. Even though it is made from soya beans it is classed as the protein part of a meal so not part of the 5/10 a day.

I think it's also the processing : I was surprised to check the label and find next to no fibre for example, unlike beans and lentils.

Oh I forgot that I also logged my weekly varieties and I made 38. There may have been a few other ones in there that were in some of the salads over the weekend but I'm pretty pleased with that.

Ones obviously that made more of an appearance than others, tomatoes featured heavily, I suppose because they are quite versatile. Can be eaten quickly as a snack out the fridge, eaten cold as part of a salad or cooked, either fresh, tinned or puree. They make great pasta sauces, basis for soups and stews, ratatouille, lasagne, the list is endless.

I have had 3 dates for my breakfast and still planning on eating from what I have in the house. That's the dates finished though. But I realised I have raisins for tomorrow. I want to also focus on waste. The amount of food we bought for the weekend that we didn't need or use all of kind of upset me.

I do think that will get easier when there are less people in the house. In the next few years we will probably go down to only dh, me and the youngest ds. I think it must be easier to not over buy and not waste food. Or maybe I'm being naive. I might find it harder not to over buy food as I am used to buying for a big family. I have 4 children (although due to their ages they haven't all ever lived with me at the same time) so I am used to buying bags of things. Bags of apples, bunches of bananas, 2 bags of salad at a time etc. Then they need used up and no one fancies them. Whereas in my mind if it was just me for instance then I could buy an apple if I fancy an apple. Eat it. Then buy a banana and eat that. But, I haven't ever had to just buy for myself or for just me and dh so maybe I haven't a clue. I need to get into the habit of buying less and planning ahead. (That planning malarkey again proving it's worth)

Anyway, my plans are..
• 10 a day.
• 30 a week.(I will change from Mondays to Mondays I think)
• And reducing wastage as much as possible.

Well done everyone. So glad that we are all cheering each other on. It really does help .

Wow 38 varieties is great!
Day 2 has been good so far -
banana and apple for breakfast (2)
Kale, orange pepper, tomatoes and avo for lunch (4)

Got to find four for dinner - I think probably I’ll have baked spud with beans, cucumber, tomatoes and yellow pepper. I have kiwi for pud.

38 is a brilliant weekly variety total!

I’m at a fairly poor 6 here today:

1. Apple
2. Tomatoes
3. Onion and pepper (1/2 serving each)
4. Butternut
5. Chickpeas
6. Courgette

Food shop comes tonight so I might have some more fruit later on.

Today,

Melon and strawberries for breakfast, 2.

Satsuma mid morning, 1

Lettuce, cress, grated carrot, spring onions and tomatoes with bread and pate for lunch, 2

Roast pork with new potatoes, carrots and beetroot for dinner later, 2 followed by apple and blackberry crumble, 1

8 again. I seem to get stuck at 8 most days! Could be worse though I suppose.

Ok, dinner done - the day was…

Banana
Apple
Tomato
Kale
Avo
Orange pepper
Swiss chard
(1/2 baked spud with …)
Baked beans (not sure if they count)
Grated carrot
Runner beans
Kale and chard and coriander salad
Stuffed now but might have some grapes later

Aubergine : 2 portions worth
Lettuce, olives and tomato 1
Red pepper 1
Avocado 2 portions again !
Beetroot 1

So 7 in volume, 5 by the rule of no repetition.
I had a veg free lunch today which didn't help.

I'm stuck on 7 today. I was going to say it was because I wasn't hungry but I just managed to scoff down a row of dark chocolate...hmmm. 🤔 anyway...

1. Dates
2. Peas
3. Cannelini beans
4. Peppers
5. Olives/tomatoes
6. Mango
7. Kiwi

Might have an apple later. But I'm not hungry

I'm not hungry but I just know I'd eat something sugary.
I've told myself if I go toward the biscuits tonight I'm to pick up a satsuma instead😂 or have some olives.

I’m totally with you BreathMiller - we are a family of 4 adults and buy in quantities but I always feel I am trying to eat up the leftovers 🙄 so as to avoid waste. 5 portions today

B: homemade apple crumble (leftovers using the last of last year’s frozen apples) - 1
L: cheese & coleslaw sandwich, lettuce, carrot sticks - 2
D: sausage (leftovers) & tomato pasta - 1

Lunch:
Salad leaves (pea and radish shoots with chives)
Green beans
Avocado
Beetroot

Snack
Grapes
Peach

Dinner: chickpea curry
With chickpeas
Passata
Spinach
Quarter portion onion

Dessert
Soft dried prunes

I find food planning/shopping for a family really challenging, especially now they're older teens. They can be quite good at eating stuff up when directed, but it's hard enough knowing what I'm going to want to eat before I shop let along guessing what everyone else is going to want to eat (and in what qty...)

Yesterday

Kiwi
Peach
Corn on the cob
Tomatoes
Sweet potato
Tenderstem
Beetroot
Butternut and cauliflower soup (2)
Avocado
Cucumber
Lettuce

Today

Banana/dates (smoothie, 1)
Kiwi
Flat peach
Mixed veg curries, including lentils, sweet potato, peas, tomatoes (2)
Lettuce, cucumber, avocado, artichoke hearts (2)
Tenderstem
Tomatoes
Courgette

I'm impressed with everyone's totals! I am intrigued as to how many varieties I eat in a week; I suspect not too many as I am a creature of habit, but I'll count when I get a chance and see.

Today was:
grapes and strawberries for breakfast with yogurt etc (1.5 in weight)
scrambled tofu, grilled mushrooms, avocado and tomatoes for lunch (2.5 in weight)
Snack of raw carrots, sugar snaps, cucumber and pepper with a pea pesto dip (2.5 in weight)
Chickpea curry with onions and tomatoes, steamed broccoli, carrots, red cabbage, green cabbage, cauli, sweetcorn and peas (probably 5 in total)
An apple (1)
I think that's a good 10 or more. We did also pick blackberries but I didn't have time to make into crumble yet. They're a bit on the sour side so will need to be quite generous with the sugar I'm afraid.

Oh thanks for the thoughts about tofu - I hadn't thought about the fibre content but of course that makes sense! I do sometimes wonder about foods that are included in your 5 a day... for instance, spaghetti hoops???! Really?

Yes, very dubious about the spaghetti hoops - I wouldn’t count it. But baked beans I would as the combined bean + sauce must make a portion.

Spaghetti hoops? Really?
Goodness, who knew my mum in the 70s was helping me towards my 10 a day with Spaghetti hoops on toast.

I skipped breakfast so need to make up for it at lunch and dinner!
Lunch :
tomatoes
Kale
Swiss chard
Celery
Courgettes
Runner beans
Coriander
5 portions in total

That lunch looks amazing!

Today I've had strawberries and blueberries for breakfast. 2

Lunch was bread and pate with mixed leaves, sliced tomatoes and onions, grated carrot and cress. Delicious! Followed by a satsuma. 3-4

Dinner this evening is pork and veg stir fry with spring onion, garlic, ginger, chilli, pak choi, carrot, mushrooms and asparagus. Yum. Probably 4 portions.