How do you get your 5 a day?

[newbluecurtains]

I read recently that the majority of the '5 a day' is supposed to be vegetables rather than fruit and I've realised that I don't eat that many veg!

Breakfast - not going to have veg at breakfast? Sometimes I have a green smoothie (spinach, fruit, water) could I sneak a veg in there?

Snacks - What veg is good to snack on? Cucumber sticks - fruit. Carrot sticks - carrots are apparently too startchy to count as 5 a day. Pepper sticks - peppers are fruit?

Lunch - I'll often have salad but most of my salad is either leaves or fruit - tomato, avocado, cucumber etc. What veg is good for salads? What veg is good on jacket potatoes? Does a portion of spinach count as one of your 5 a day?

Dinner is ok but unless I shove 4/5 portions of veg into dinner every day I've got to get them in elsewhere, bit ashamed to say I can't think of many ways to eat vegetables during the day aside from making soup for lunch? Best tips? Am I being stupid here?? (Yes probably)

Smoothies (adding eg kale, carrots etc), soup, casseroles, vegetable chilli, curries etc.

Sometimes, if I see some eg butternut squash or have lots of left over carrots etc, I cook and then blend them and freeze them in ice cube trays to throw in eg a spag bol or curry for added flavour and vits.

There's a Deliciously Ella stew recipe that serves 4 and each serving is 9 of your 5 a day. Epic!

I am not sure about carrot not counting and 5-a-day being only veg.
However:
Fruit - I snack mid morning and mid afternoon with some fruit, and often have some after dinner. For me/us it's way more tempting to have it ready to eat, so when I buy it I wash and cut it and keep it in the fridge. I normally rotate: apple slices, strawberries, grapes, melon, watermelon, pineapple. But I keep pears, oranges and bananas in a fruit bowl.
Vegetables - we always have veg with lunch and dinner, as a side dish. Plus I often incorporate other veg in the meals (i.e. I add carrots, onions and celery to chicken stew, peppers to fajitas etc). The veg I bring as sides tend to be steamed broccoli, courgettes/tomatoes/peppers in a ratatouille, steamed green beens, a mixed salad with leaves/carrot/cucumber/radish/avocado/spring onion/...,

I probably have 8-10 portions most days. I tend to eat the same most days.
Breakfast is weetabix with a banana and a glass of fresh orange juice.
Mid morning I’ll have an apple. Lunch is a sandwich and salad. I weigh my salad items out - 80g lettuce, 80g of tomatoes, 80g of cucumber and 80g of peppers.
Then at dinner I’ll have loads of cooked veg usually carrots and broccoli.

I used to eat more then 5 a day easily, 2 pieces of fruit for breakfast, a satsuma or apple as a snack after lunch.
4 or 5 good portions of veg over lunch and tea.

I’m 18 wks pregnant & had been struggling to even get 3 portions of fruit/veg a day most days. I don’t really feel like it at all and it leaves a funny taste in my mouth. So to make sure I’m eating enough good stuff , I’ve been having a smoothie for lunch - raspberries, a banana, orange juice and mango. It’s much easier then trying to eat it separately.
I have at least 2 pieces of veg for tea, like broccoli and cauliflower or make sure I have lots of lettuce/cucumber and tomatoes in a salad.

I find it easy to get 5 a day in but it wasn't always this way, I learnt how to eat differently based on a Mumsnet thread from years ago now, and since I've developed some disordered eating habits but I'm working on it. I've only included fruits and veg not dairy, carbs, protein etc below.

Depending on how hungry I am I usually have something or all of the bits from below. All fruit and veg is mostly either frozen, tinned, jarred apart from things like cucumber, grapes, bananas.

Breakfast
Yoghurt with 2 from blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, cherries
Banana and/or apple

Snack 1
Cucumber and hummus
Grapes

Snack 2
Pepper, carrot slices with ketchup

Lunch
Lentil soup or carrot and cauliflower soup
Salad (spinach, tomatoes, olives, beetroot, Quorn, beans- e.g. black beans, kidney beans, mixed beans)

After-work meal
Broccoli, spinach, green beans, some sort of protein e.g lentils, ginger, red chillies

Dinner
Pickled vegetables
Vegetable saag
Side salad- lettuce, rocket leaves, onion, tomatoes

Today I had:

Breakfast - overnight oats with (defrosted) frozen mixed berries
Lunch-veg soup and salad
Dinner - different kind of salad / beans

Soup is a good way to get lots of vegetables

Should say I don't always have 80g or a portion of each fruit/veg- it can often be less, I just focus on getting some food in

I don't think it matters if the veg is technically a fruit, as long as it's not too high in sugar.

I get mine typically by
B: yoghurt with 100g blueberries or raspberries (1)
L: either left overs (today it was spag bol with onion, peppers, tomatoes, carrot and celery in) or a salad with leaves, radishes, tomatoes, cucumber, carrot and celery sticks. Then an apple or orange (2 & 3)
D: a couple of portions of veg at dinner. Today it was roast peppers and onions with green beans, chickpeas and butternut squash (4 & 5)

I might have some fruit or veg sticks as a snack or some berries or fruit compote for dessert after dinner.

Smoothie most mornings with added protein shake. Or omelette with mushroom and spinach. 2 portions.

Salad, vegetable curry or soup for lunch 2/3 portions

Dried fruit, or piece of fruit snack 1 portion

Stir fry, or 2/3 veg as a side, some pulses or side of sweet potatoes with main meal 2 portions

I average 6-7 on a good day. 4-5 on a bad day

I like my veg so tend to get over the recommended.

Breakfast is usually avocado & toast with orange juice.

Once or twice a week I’ll have a cooked breakfast including mushrooms, tomato, baked beans & spinach.

Less often I have granola with berries & dried fruit like dates.

Dinner-wise I’m lazy so tend to make a lot of ‘chuck anything in’ veggie meals - e.g. curries/stews etc with onion / mushrooms / peppers / butternut squash / aubergine / courgette / spinach etc. Or a big bowl of pasta & all that sort of veg.

Chickpeas count as well as lentils / baked beans / all other beans.

I also have things like: chilli non carne (including kidney beans, mushrooms, chopped tomatoes, onion, spinach etc).

Roasted veg (peppers, mushrooms, courgette etc) with crusty bread & houmous.

Nut roast (or equivalent) with parsnips/cabbage/carrots/peas etc.

If I’m having a pie or something I’ll have a load of roasted or steamed kale.

Sweet potato fries (homemade - just cut up with some oil/herbs).

And I know it’s (usually) fruit, but smoothies… banana/mango/avocado as a base, dates for a bit of sweetness & then raspberries/blueberries/strawberries or whatever (+ plant milk). Banana base is what I prefer.

I also try & make different sorts of salads - e.g. ones with figs / pineapple / rocket / beetroot / broccoli / pomegranate seeds or whatever. Deliciously Ella’s carrot, orange & cashew one. Random recipes that get me out of my salad comfort zone!

I keep reading that variety is key so I do try and chuck the occasional new thing in the trolley. Which is how I end up with a random leek that needs eating 😂

Absolutely!!!